on the $10 bill? Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower, Kennedy. Nearly every person on a dollar bill or coin was a former President of the United States. But not Alexander Hamilton. So why the great honor?Hamilton was born out of wedlock on a Caribbean island in the 1750s. With no fortune to inherit and an illegitimacy to cover up, Hamilton emigrated to New England when in his teens. During the Revolutionary War he was an aide to George Washington
. Less of a military genius and more of a fantastic organizer, Washington thought very highly of Hamilton. After the war, Hamilton returned to his true area of expertise - finance. Hamilton was a strong proponent of a powerful central government in the fledgling nation. He felt it was the only way that the American economy would be able to compete with the British. During the debates on whether or not to ratify the Constitution, Hamilton was one of the co-authors of the Federalist papers, which were a driving force behind ratification.
Once the Constitution was in place and George Washington elected the first President, he appointed Alexander Hamilton to be the nations first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton had nearly free reign to design a government, and a banking system, to his liking. He established America as a credit-worthy nation around the world and established the first mint.
Hamilton remained a major player in national politics his entire life. At one point, he was instrumental in Aaron Burr's defeat in a New York gubernatorial election. Burr
, by then the Vice President of the United States, later heard that Hamilton had insulted him at a dinner party. Feeling his honor had been diminished, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel
. When the day came, Hamilton purposely fired high, striking a branch over Burr's head. Burr's shot hit Hamilton just above the pelvis, ricocheting through his torso. Hamilton died just a few days later, leaving a legacy that can best be remembered by looking at his picture on a $10 bill.
