Hamilton, the Hero and Scholar by Jessica

Hamilton, the Hero and Scholar by Jessica - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

“I think the first duty of society is justice”. A large part of Alexander Hamilton’s life was focused around justice and helping to build the legal system of a new nation. As a future lawyer, I think having dinner with Hamilton would be extremely enlightening and inspiring.
Hamilton spent his early life in the Caribbean, where he was abandoned by his father and orphaned when his mother died in an epidemic. By 14, he had become an apprentice to a local merchant and soon was running an export business and teaching himself to write in his spare time. Hamilton began publishing essays in the local newspaper, and was soon realized for his genius. Friends and neighbors collected enough money to send him to King’s College in the colonies, where he began to study law before the revolutionary war. During the war, Hamilton quickly distinguished himself as a hero in battle and became George Washington’s aide-de-camp, writing letters to the Continental Congress and drafting military reports, as well as studying economic theories that he would put to use later on in life.
After the war, Hamilton finished his studies and became a lawyer, soon becoming one of the best attorneys in New York. At the same time, Hamilton had distinguished himself by writing about the government of the new country. He was selected as a delegate for the Constitutional Convention, and remained an instrumental part of the government as he assumed the position of Secretary of the Treasury and effectively ran the State Department before Thomas Jefferson returned from his position as an ambassador to France and accepted the job. Hamilton’s plans helped stop the country from spiraling into bankruptcy due to Revolutionary War debts and kept a divided nation together. Although Hamilton is now known for being killed in a duel and as a participant in the first major government scandal of the new United States, he spent the majority of his time devoted to his country, his government, and working his way out of the poverty that had plagued his childhood.
Having dinner with Hamilton would be enlightening to me, since I intend to pursue a career in law. Besides learning firsthand what it took to build and put into practice the principles of the developing legal system, talking to Hamilton would serve as extreme inspiration. If Hamilton could write his way out of poverty and into history, serve as the Commander-in-Chief’s right-hand man, and help to lay the foundations for many parts of the United States, anyone can achieve their dreams. In addition, Hamilton was an ardent abolitionist, and I would love to hear his thoughts on the progress towards equality that our country has made.
As an immigrant from a single-parent family, and later an orphan who worked his way through college and law school after serving in the military, Hamilton’s story reflects that of many Americans today. His life and triumphs over every obstacle put in his path serves as inspiration for me currently and in my future studies.