Two Great Founders

Two Great Founders

The Founding Fathers laid the foundation for the United States after our nation gained Independence from Great Brittan. Author, Joseph Ellis, wrote about these great men in his book Founding Brothers. He tells the interesting relationships among Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison. Though they were all very different, they managed to unite a quarrelsome group of states. Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin were both very influential men both in the Founding Period and during these current times.

Alexander Hamilton played a large role in America becoming its own nation. He first started out his career as a military man. Starting out as a Captain, he soon became an aide the future president, George Washington. After the victory in the Revolutionary War, Hamilton became a successful lawyer in New York. As his popularity rose, Alexander Hamilton was elected to be a representative for his sate to help amend the Articles of Confederation in Annapolis and later in Philadelphia.

Hamilton’s vision for the new American Constitution was one of a strong centralized government. He believed the Articles of Confederation gave too much power to the states. Although the Constitution did not have a strong centralized government like he had wanted, Hamilton still signed the Constitution because he thought it was best for the nation at the time. In an effort to change the American people’s minds he, James Madison, and John Jay published a series of essays called the Federalists Papers. These papers were the begging of what was known as the Federalists Party. This effort was a success and convinced the people to ratify the Constitution.

After George Washington became the president, he appointed Hamilton as the first Secretary of Treasury. While at this position he establish both a National Bank and a National