Hamilton

Hamilton was one of the boldest and most creative thinkers of his time. He supported the establishment of a strong federal government and believed that the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted loosely to give the government greater powers. Hamilton also favored the development of manufacturing to achieve an economic balance between agriculture and industry. He worked to protect the interests of merchants and other business leaders and believed the nation could best be governed by people from these groups.

Many of Hamilton's policies were strongly opposed by Thomas Jefferson and other political leaders of the time. But today, scholars agree that Hamilton's ideas have had lasting importance.

Early life. Hamilton claimed he was born on Jan. 11, 1757, but scholars have ...