My Dinner with Alexander Hamilton by Sydney

My Dinner with Alexander Hamilton by Sydney - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

For someone who is as passionate about history as I am, it is difficult to select just one historical figure with whom to have dinner. Choosing to have a conversation with Lincoln about his policies during his presidency, or chatting up Martin Luther King Jr. about the racial issues we face today sound like dreams come true. With all of these influential figures in mind, there is, nonetheless, one who I would very much enjoy having a conversation with over dinner; that one man is Alexander Hamilton.
As Founding Fathers go, Alexander Hamilton is not a very well-known historical figure, even though he did so much for the American Revolution and the formation of this great nation. He is only rarely discussed in history classes and the only things for which he is really known are his position in Washington’s cabinet and his murder at the hands of Aaron Burr during a duel. I feel that having dinner with him could give me an insight to his life and times, information about the accomplishments he would have attempted had he lived to become president, and his opinions about the issues facing our government and the American people today.
During my dinner with Alexander Hamilton, I would ask about his life before the Revolution. I feel it would be most interesting to learn about those formative years that shaped such a fascinating and brilliant man, mainly because his early life was quite tragic. The only details of his life are contained in historical documents such as letters, public records, and any journals he kept. Besides those few documents, we have no way of knowing how he felt and who he really was. By asking him about these years, I could learn about his daily activities, his friends, his schooling, and, most importantly, what made this orphan from Jamaica so invested in independence for his adopted country, which welcomed him with open arms.
Hamilton is sometimes known as the man who could have been president. Unfortunately, he was unable to because of his passionate, hot-headed personality and his inability to keep his opinions to himself. This man was very intelligent and could play the game of politics extremely well, which is what makes me wonder what he could have done if he had been fortunate enough to become president of the United States. I would love to discuss with him what his plans and policies would have been. Discussion on foreign policy and economics would be a definite. Another exciting topic would be that of his hypothetical cabinet. Because of how forthcoming his opinions were on different issues, he had few friends but plenty of enemies. This leaves me wondering who he would have selected to be a part of his cabinet and who he would have left out. Questioning him about these issues would allow me to get into the mind of this brilliant man, and increase my understanding of the similarities and differences between politics back then and politics today.
I’m sure if I were to have dinner with Alexander Hamilton today, he would be extremely shocked by our current batch of politics and politicians. Weighing in on issues such as immigration, racism, and the economy with a founding father would prove to be fascinating and frustrating at the same time. Hamilton would probably have a lot to say about how far we have come with racial relations since the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. When he was alive, slavery was legal, even though Britain had ceased using slaves before the start of the Revolution, and many colonists opposed it. Seeing African Americans living side by side with white people who did not own them would certainly shock him but not offend him since he was often seen preaching against slavery. I also feel that he would provide great insight to the country’s financial situation. Hamilton was the man who created the first Untied States bank and almost single-handedly shaped our financial system. He could possibly provide some guidance toward fixing it, making it easier for American citizens to earn more money and amass wealth because, after all, he was the brains behind our whole operation,
Alexander Hamilton was the most influential and brilliant of the founding fathers. Even though he was the youngest and most inexperienced of them when it came to politics, he was also the smartest and the savviest. A dinner with Hamilton would prove to be not only informative and interesting, but fun as well. Learning about my favorite period of history through the eyes of someone who lived during it would be the most surreal and exciting experience I can imagine transpiring in my life, and if I were able to choose my dining companion, Alexander Hamilton would most definitely be my choice.