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Alexander Hamilton Facts & Worksheets

Alexander Hamilton was a lawyer, military man, journalist and statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States who served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

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Alexander Hamilton was a lawyer, military man, journalist and statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States who served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and became the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury.

See the fact file below for more information on the Alexander Hamilton or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Alexander Hamilton worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early and Personal Life

  • Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755, to James Hamilton, a Scottish trader and Rachel Fawcett Lavien in the British West Indies. Alexander’s mother experienced controversial married life after being imprisoned for adultery under Danish law. After her troubled marriage to John Lavien, Rachel escaped and moved to St. Kitts with James Hamilton.
  • At the age of 11, young Alexander took his first job after James Sr. left them impoverished. Sadly, his mother fell ill and died in 1768, leaving Alexander and his brother orphaned.
  • Out of ambition, Hamilton worked hard as a clerk in a mercantile business in St. Croix. His employer, Nicholas Cruger, was very impressed with Hamilton and sent him to America to study. At a young age, Hamilton was exposed to international trade and commerce.
  • In 1773, Hamilton arrived in New York and enrolled at King’s College, now known as Columbia University. Having generous patrons, Hamilton became more interested in politics than academics as this was also the time when America was on the brink of revolution.
  • After a year, he wrote his first political article defending the Patriots’ cause. He soon dropped out of university to join the Patriots.
  • In 1775, when the Revolutionary War began, Hamilton joined the New York Provincial Artillery Company and fought in the battles of Long Island, White Plains and Trenton.
  • He was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army after he fought in the battles of Brandywine Creek, Germantown and Princeton. Hamilton became the assistant and trusted adviser of General George Washington. For the next five years, Hamilton was instrumental in writing letters and reports on behalf of Washington.
  • After his request to rejoin the forces in action, Hamilton once again fought in the victorious Battle of Yorktown.
  • In 1782, Hamilton left his post as an adviser, the last time he worked for the U.S Army. By 1798, he served as inspector general when America faced war with France.
  • After completing his short law apprenticeship and passing the bar, Hamilton worked as a lawyer in New York and defended Loyalists against rebels.

Political Influence

  • In 1787, while working as a delegate from New York, Hamilton met with other delegates and discussed how to fix the existing Articles of Confederation. In order to support the proposed Constitution, he penned 51 of 85 essays known as The Federalist Papers, which explained why the new Constitution should be passed. Hamilton did not have an actual act of writing the Constitution, but he became influential in passing and ratifying it in collaboration with James Madison and John Jay.
  • At first, two-thirds of the delegates opposed the new Constitution during the New York Ratification Convention but Hamilton, powerfully advocated its ratification.

Hamilton and Jefferson

  • In 1789, George Washington was elected president, he then appointed Alexander Hamilton as his secretary of the treasury. At that time, the newly formed United States was experiencing domestic and foreign debt due to war expenses.
  • As secretary of the treasury, Hamilton created economic policies that strengthened the central government and its fiscal status. He instituted a federal system of tax collection and payment of federal war bonds.
  • On the other hand, President George Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state. Both Founding Fathers exhibited opposing stances, thus making them rivals under the same cabinet Jefferson and Hamilton used to work together in harmony before the latter’s economic policies in 1791 and 1792. Hamilton was characterized as more aggressive, confrontational and ambitious than Jefferson who was more indirect and preferred to work behind the scenes.
  • As a result of such political and personal differences, two new political parties were established: the Federalists led by Hamilton, and the Republicans, by Jefferson.
  • In 1795, Hamilton stepped down from his position and went back to Manhattan to practice law.

Duel, Death & Legacy

  • During the 1800 presidential elections, Hamilton supported Thomas Jefferson’s campaign against John Adams. Jefferson won with Aaron Burr as his vice president but often left Burr out of discussions on party decisions.
  • In 1804, Jefferson ran for re-election but removed Burr from his ticket. Feeling marginalized, Burr ran independently for New York governorship but lost.
  • Burr heatedly confronted Hamilton when he read the latter’s comment on him in a newspaper. Hamilton called Burr as “the most unfit and dangerous man in the community.” As a result, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel that took place on July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey. In the duel, Hamilton was fatally wounded while Hamilton’s bullet did not hit Burr.
  • On July 12, a day after the duel, Hamilton died in New York City.
  • Hamilton was credited for creating the first Bank of the United States on the model of the Bank of England.
  • Moreover, he was also known for his Reports on Manufactures, which promoted commercial and industrial development. He helped in founding the U.S. Mint and the Revenue Cutter Service.
  • In 1784, he founded the Bank of New York, which became the oldest continuous banking organization.
  • In 1791, he started a daily broadsheet known as the New York Evening Post, later renamed the New York Post.

Alexander Hamilton Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Alexander Hamilton across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Alexander Hamilton worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Alexander Hamilton who was a lawyer, military man, journalist and statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States who served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and became the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Alexander Hamilton Facts
  • Mr. Independent
  • Finding the Founding Fathers
  • 10-dollar Founding Father
  • Con Con: Constitutional Convention
  • Hamilton Hunt
  • The Publius
  • Hamilton v. Jefferson Match
  • Hamiltonian Economy
  • Political Storyboard
  • Hamilton: The Election of 1800

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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