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Alexander Hamilton
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Oil portrait by John Trumbull of Alexander Hamilton, shown from the waist up in a tan coat and white cravat, gazing to his left against a dark background. Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton Hamilton on U.S. $10 bill Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, showing Hamilton in a dark coat and white cravat, looking slightly to his left against a dark background.
Explore Thomas Jefferson's feuds with Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams
Washington's Farewell Address Face-off: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Bronze statues of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr with dueling pistols face each other in a grand hall at the Museum of American Finance in Manhattan. Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of Hamilton perform onstage in Revolutionary War-era costumes, with dramatic lighting and a brick set behind them.
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Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, showing Hamilton in a dark coat and white cravat, looking slightly to his left against a dark background.
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Washington Monument. Washington Monument and fireworks, Washington DC. The Monument was built as an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington.
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The original copy of the constitution of the United States; housed in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.
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Alexander Hamilton

Also known as: Camillus
Written by
Alexander DeConde
Emeritus Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara. Author of The Quasi-War: The Politics and Diplomacy of the Undeclared War with France, 1797–1801 and others.
Alexander DeConde
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

When President Washington in 1789 appointed Hamilton the first secretary of the treasury, Congress asked him to draw up a plan for the “adequate support of the public credit.” Envisaging himself as something of a prime minister in Washington’s official family, Hamilton developed a bold and masterly program designed to build a strong union, one that would weave his political philosophy into the government. His immediate objectives were to establish credit at home and abroad...

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