Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/554

* HAMILTON. 500 HAMILTON. New Jersey, and in the battles of Trenton and l^rinceton; and on March 1, 1777, became an aide ou the stall' of General Wasliington, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. In this capacity he acted as Washington's confidential secretary, -attending to much of the correspondence from headquarters; and in November, 1777, was sent on a delicate mission to Albany for the purpose of securing reinforcements from General Gates and General Putnam. In December, 17S0, he married Miss Elizabeth Schuyler, the daughter of Gen. Philip Schuyler, tluis allying himself with one of the most influ- ential fiimilies in New York. In February, 1781, in a fit of resentment, he left the staff of the commander-in-chief becatise the latter had re- buked him, on the ground of disrespect, for a de- lay in obeying orders; and, returning to the line, he" successfully led one of the attacking columns at Yorktown ( q.v. ) . Soon after the outbreak of the war lie had begun to take a lively interest in the financial and administrative problems that confronted the Cimfcdcration. and in 1780 and 1781 wrote able letters to Duane and Morris, respectively, point- ing out the defects in the Articles of Confedera- tion, and the necessity of a strong central Gov- ernment, and proposing an elaborate scheme for the reorganization of the finances, and the estab- lishment of a bank. From May to November, 17S2, he acted as receiver of Continental taxes in the State of New York; and was a member of the Continental Congress in 1782-83, during which time he took a conspicuous part in all debates concerning taxation and finances gene- rally ; served on various important committees ; proposed aji elaborate plan for a military estab- lishment in time of peace; and became con- vinced, even more strongly than before, of the weakness of the existing Government and the need for complete reorganization. Early in the summer of 1782, after a brief course of studj'. he had been admitted to the bar at Albany, and upon leaving Congress he took up with assiduity the practice of liis profession in New Y'ork, meeting with immediate success. He attracted jiarticular attention by his advocacy of the lib- eral treatment of Loyalists, and in the celebrated ease of Rutgers rs. Waddington braved popular opinion by attacking the 'Trespass Act' of New Y'ork, which provided that a Whig dispossessed by the British could collect rent from those who bad occupied his property during his absence. Besides practicing his profession, he took part in the discussion of public measures, was one of the founders of a State bank, and was active in the organization of the Society of the Cincinnati. During the most critical period of national history he vigorously aided the movement for a stronger central Government. He, with Egbert Benson, represented New York in the Annapolis Conventi<m of 1786 (q.v.). and it was he who drafted the report which led to the as- sembling of the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in the following year. Upon his return from Annapolis he was elected to the Stale Legislature, and was there instrumental in securing the appointment of delegates from New York to the approaching convention, he himself being chosen, along with Robert Yates and .John Lansing. Though his influence in the convention was to a great extent nullified by the opposition of his strongly Anti-Federalist associates, who finally withdrew altogether, as did Hamilton for a time, he exerted himself, while in attendance, to impress upon the delegates the need of a thorough reorganization of the Government, and in June, 1787, made an elaborate speech in which he expressed a warm admiration of the Britisli Constitution, and proposed a plan which provided for a strong and virtually independent Executive, and the subordination of tlic individual States to the Central Government — the Executive and Sen- ators to liold oUice during good behavior, the State Governors to be appointed by the Central Government, and to have a veto on all State legislation, and the Lower House of Congress to be elected directly liy the people. He vigorously supported the Constitution as finally adopted, especially by his production, with JIadison and Jay, of the Federalist (q.v.) which exerted a powerful influence, and remains the best con- temporary exposition of that document ; ami in tiie New York convention acliieved a remarkable triiunpli tjy securing ratification in face of an Anti-Federalist majority at the outset of 65 to 19, making numerous speeches and finally win- ning over ilelanchthon Smith, himself, who had led the debate on the opposing side. In September, 1789, six months after the organization of the General Government under the new Constitution, Congress passed an act es- tablishing a Treasury Department, and Presi- dent Washington immediately selected Hamilton as first Secretar.y of the Treasury. In the then unsettled state of the country financially and economically, this was a position of primary im- portance, and during his term of office Hamilton rendered to the nation .services scarcely less in- valuable than those of Washington himself. With tireless energy and remarkable ability he applied himself to the various economic problems which then pres.sed so insistently for solution, and in report after report laid down policies, which, adopted by Congi'css, reestablished the public credit, brought prestige to the National Govern- ment in spile of the disintegrating tendencies of the time, and formed precedents which for the most part have since been followed, and have thus in some lines determined the whole subse- quent history of the nation. His reports dealt, among other things, with the public credit, the raising and collection of the revenue, estimates of income and expenditures, the temporary regu- lation of the currency, navigation laws, and the coasting trade, the organization of the jKist- office. the management of the public lands, the purchase of West Point by the National Govern- ment, the establishment of a mint, the founding of a national bank, the policy of the Government with regard to manufactures, and the adoption of an excise; and, in addition, when, at the close of 1791, his administration was attacked as cor- rupt by the opposition under the lead of Madison and Giles, he .sent into Congress a succession of detailed reports, setting forth the operations of his department with such comprehensiveness and lucidity as to turn abuse into praise, and utterly , to refute the charges of his assailants. His pro- posals that the National Government should as- sume the Revolutionary debts of the individual States, that Congress should establish a national bank by virtue of the 'implied powers' granted by the Constitution — the first suggestion of this doctrine — and th.at Congress shovild impose an excise — all of which had in view the strengthen-