Hamilton's legacy

Alexander Hamilton isn't a Founding Father for no reason. Many of his principles have remained as key cornerstones in our government today. But his great thinking didn't emerge until 1775 when he was participating in the Revolutionary War. Hamilton, being diligent and determined, quickly rose among the ranks and soon gained attention from many generals asking for his position as their aide. He declined the offers saying the battlefield was best for him, that is, until George Washington too asked for his aide, an offer he could not refuse. As Washington's new aide, Hamilton wrote letters to congress, drafted orders, and eventually even issuing orders himself for Washington. During this time, he became aware of several issues with congress. Many of which he believed came from the Articles of Confederation.

 In 1782, Hamilton set out to fix the Articles, with the mindset that a strong central government was key to America's success. In the coming years, he would become an important political figure. With a strong central government still in mind, Hamilton was key to approving the new constitution. Since his time in the military, he knew the Articles of Confederation were too weak to support the government, and, when he met in Philidelphia to discuss a revision, Hamilton did everything he could to approve the new constitution. Along with James Madison and John Jay, they wrote the 85 Federalist Papers with Hamilton having written 51 of them. With his efforts, he was a powerful advocate in the ratification.

In 1789, when George Washington was elected president, he saw Hamilton's finesse and appointed him secretary of the treasury. At this time, his political career would be at it's highest. However, not everyone was in agreement with his viewpoints. In his Report on Public Credit, Hamilton addressed several vital issues. Rather than being against the huge debt collected from the Revolutionary War, he was in support of it stating that  "the government's debt was the price of liberty." Hamilton observed that "America was a young country rich in opportunity. It lacked only liquid capital, and government debt could supply that gaping deficiency."  He also addressed the issue with war bonds, stating that the bonds should not go to the soldiers who sold them, but the speculators that bought them because the soldiers had shown little faith in the county's future. Hamilton ended his report with a way of eliminating the debt if need be. That was through a sinking fund that "would retire about 5 percent of the debt each year until it was paid off. Because outstanding bonds currently traded below their original face value, such purchases would benefit the government as the securities rose in price."

Soon after the report was submitted, it started gaining negative traction. "Opponents sensed that [Hamilton] was moving too fast, on too many fronts, for them to grasp all his intentions." Hamilton's opinions caused many uproars as people did not agree with his ideology. Perhaps because the majority of people were focused on the present, while Hamilton's vision "was fixed on America's future. He was laying the groundwork for a great nation."

Despite the initial intense opposition to his policies, Hamilton's ideology gradually became accepted. When he stepped down from his position as secretary of the treasury in 1795, he had left behind him a far more secure economy and government that would not have happened without his controversial ideas.