Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757, in Charlestown, and died on July 12, 1804, in New York while dueling with Aaron Burr. When he was born his father abandoned him and left him without privileges.Hamilton was very interested in politics and at that time the best place to get a political influence was New York. He decided to join the army and fight in the Revolutionary war, while still serving in the army he married Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of the right and powerful general Philip Schuyler. After the American Revolution Hamilton worked in New York as a lawyer. He also joined the Continental Congress and fought to replace the flawed articles of confederation with a constitution that guaranteed a strong and central government. Hamilton believed that a new and stronger central government was required to correct the mistakes made in the government outlined in the Articles of Confederation, but many of the other delegates felt his ideas were too radical and labeled Hamilton an extremist. Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of the George Washington administration. Alexander Hamilton was the architect and author of what became known as the “Federalist Papers”. It was a collection of 85 essays published in newspapers which convinced the states to ratify the US constitution. George Washington was elected America's first president in 1789 he decided to make Alexander Hamilton the first secretary of the treasury. Given this role, Hamilton designed the treasury department, he believed it was the role of the federal government to collect and hand out money. Hamilton had a plan of how a national economy could emerge when many people didn’t know how to work.