Eliot P.




The Life of Alexander Hamilton




Introduction 
Have you ever heard of the famous hero who was in the battle of Yorktown, Alexander Hamilton? He was  George Washington’s assistant and was a main general in the Battle of Yorktown. He was born in the West Indies on a island called Nevis. He also was the first secretary of treasury and one of the four founding fathers. You might know him best from the ten dollar bill.


Chapter 1: Early life
Alexander Hamilton was born in 1755. His parents were James Hamilton and Rachel Faucet. Alexander Hamilton like to read in French and English. He learned French from his mother. He was not allowed to go to formal school because his parents were not actually married, therefore, he was tutored. After that he went to King's College, now known as Columbia University, and graduated college and went to war.


He dreamed of being a war hero one day, that might be why he joined the war. He became Washington’s assistant. Washington was protective of Hamilton because he thought he would be reckless since he wanted to be a war hero.


Alexander Hamilton stopped a mob of people from attacking someone. He was also in the Heart of Oaks and he stole a bunch of British cannons. This made him want to go to war, therefore he studied war strategies.


During the war
The Battle of Yorktown

 During the war, he was Washington's assistant. He got annoyed with Washington being over protective and keeping him off the battlefield. This caused him to quit and move away. He kept on trying to get on the battlefield. Finally Washington decided to let him go on the battlefield and let him be in charge of 68 men.

He was in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and he commanded a unit of 68 men. They drove the British over to Yorktown and there were troops waiting for them. They had a huge battle. In the end the continentals won. This was considered the turning point of the revolutionary war.

Next, Hamilton, Washington, and the continentals crossed the Delaware River. When they got there, they surprised attacked a camp of Redcoats. They fought a battle until the Redcoats surrendered with a white flag. After this they started beginning to create peace negotiations between Britain and America.

The peace treaty was called the Treaty of Paris and was written in 1783. The treaty stated that England recognized America as its own, independent, country. In return, America promised to stop persecuting loyalists and would pay back the debts they owed.

After the War
The Election of 1800  

Aaron Burr  vs  
Thomas Jefferson                          
                                                                                  Aaron Burr                    Thomas Jefferson            
                                                                                                                                                                                                  
   
Aaron Burr was born February 6, 1756 in Newark New Jersey he died September 14,1836 Staten Island, New York City. 
Thomas Jefferson  was born on April 13, 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia. He died July 4, 1826 in Monticello, Virginia.      
Aaron Burr was a lawyer and then he was a politician
Thomas Jefferson was a author, lawyer, philosopher,architect,
inventor,drafter, diplomat,statesman,
archaeologist ,planter







Hamilton voted for Jefferson instead of Burr and Burr got so mad that he challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, he went to the spot, counted to ten and Aaron Burr shot Hamilton and Hamilton fell to the ground. 

Conclusion
Alexander Hamilton participated in the  Battle of Yorktown, the Election of 1800, and loved to read and write. He is best known for leading a small battalion of 68 men to fight during the battle of Yorktown. The Battle of Yorktown was known as the turning-point in the Revolutionary war. Without Alexander Hamilton and his lead, our nation may be very different. Can you imagine if George Washington did not let him fight in the war? Our country could possibly be part of Britain instead of the United States of America. He is known for many things, but most importantly he is known for his bravery and his great leadership.


 

Glossary

Yorktown: Town in New York state where the battle of Yorktown occurred

George Washington: First president of the United States

King's College: College where Alexander  Hamilton went, now known as Columbia University

Commanded: Was in charge and gave orders

Unit: Group of men

Continentals: People fighting against Britain

Delaware River: River that goes from Delaware to Pennsylvania

Redcoats: People who fought against the patriots for Britain

White flag: Flag you hold up when you surrender in a war

Peace Negotiations: When opposite sides in a war meet to negotiate an end of 
the war

Treaty: Document you create that states the rules at the end of a war

Persecuting: To be hostile to someone      


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