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Alexander Hamilton Position: Federalist

New York is located in the middle part of the United States. By the eighteenth century it became a much diversified colony. A mixture of immigrant groups settled within the colony including the Dutch, Belgians, French, English, Swedes, and the Finns. This meant a mixture of cultures, religions, and beliefs. The Dutch relied on a royal governor rather than a democratic government. Its economy was focused on the growing middle class of small businessmen. But many New Yorkers could still be considered underclass.
 * New York Representative **

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757. He immigrated to New York from the West Indies in 1772 and studied at Columbia University. He was well known for his speeches and writings. He grew close to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War while he served in the military. He married into a well known New York family which better helped him secure his social standing and become a powerful political figure. He was the lower state legislature of New York and served as the New York delegate in the Constitutional Convention. President George Washington nominated and the Senate approved Alexander Hamilton as the Secretary of Treasury. He was also the principle author of the Federalist Papers. He died on July 12, 1804 at the age of 47.
 * Occupation and Background **

Alexander Hamilton was invited to the Constitutional Convention and attended as a New York state delegate along with John Lansing Jr. and Robert Yates. Hamilton did not agree with the Virginia plan or the New Jersey Plan because he thought neither went far enough in establishing a national government. In return, he proposed the Hamilton Plan. The plan called for a government that was based on the British system which he praised as the “best in the world”. It consisted of three branches; the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary branch. The executive of the government would be the President of the United States, and would be elected by a system of electoral colleges to serve a life term. The judiciary system would consist of a Supreme Court and a series of smaller national courts. Finally, the legislative branch would be composed of a Congress. The congress would include an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the Assembly. The Senate was represented by the nation’s finest while the Assembly was represented by a democracy for the American people. He hoped with this strong authority it would replace the weak system of the Articles of Confederation. In the end, he was the only one out of the three delegates from New York to sign the Constitution.
 * At the Constitutional Convention **

In order for the Constitution to take place, nine of the thirteen states would have to agree to ratify the Constitution. Alexander knew many were opposed in supporting the document so between 1787 and 1788 he worked with John Jay and James Madison to write a total amount of 85 essays which promoted the constitution. These writings were known as “The Federalist” and achieved reification of the document in New York as well as the rest of the nation.
 * States Ratifying Constitution **

Alexander Hamilton played little part in the writing of the Constitution but wanted a strong central government. He thought it was important the power lies in the educated leaders where major decisions would be made. He proposed that by separating powers into three independent branches it would protect the rights of the people. Each branch represents a different aspect of the people, and because all three branches are equal, no one group can control the other. Hamilton sided with those who supported a strong government, the federalists, which included John Jay and Benjamin Franklin. His oppositions were the anti-federalists which included Thomas Jefferson and “Z”.
 * Constitution Arguments **

"ALEXANDER HAMILTON." //U.S. Army Center Of Military History//. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. .

"The American Experience | The Duel | Hamilton and the U.S. Constitution." //PBS: Public// //Broadcasting Service //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/hamiltonusconstituion.html>.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">*Dudley, William. //The Creation of the Constitution: Opposing Viewpoints//. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">1995. Print.

//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Geography of New York State //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nygeo.org/ny_geo4.html>.