Alexander Hamilton

[JohnFKennedy]

Hamilton was indeed a bastard although this was a matter of circumstance really in my opinion.

His mother was married to a man she didn't love by the name of Lavein, their relationship went poorly and he took her to court and demanded she be imprisoned for "whoring". She was imprisoned for two years before fleeing away from her husban and son and meeting James Hamilton, fourth son of a Scottish Laird. The two of them had two children, James Hamilton Jr. and Alexander Hamilton.

Lavein wished to re-marry and filed for divorce from Rachel Faucette, Hamilton's mother. She feared to go to the hearing as she thought they may imprison her. Lavein was granted a divorce and she was never allowed to marry again.

James Hamilton and Rachel Lavein lived together for the first ten years of Hamilton's life. They were in effect married although could never be legally.

Hamilton's childhood was marred with problems. Brought up in virtual squallor, his father ran away from them, his mother died, his uncle and cousin both died while he was under their care, one committing suicide and he was left nothing by any, his uncle and cousin left him out of the will and everything his mother owned was challenged by Lavein for his son with Rachel. Lavein was a terrible businessman always losing money and made sure to secure a bit from Rachel's death, this was in fact the reason he married her, for some financial aid. He squandered away most of her inheritance.

Whether you like him or not, Hamilton was an impressive man, to rise from such humble beginnings in the West Indies to become a Founding Father of the United States of America is impressive.

By the way, he was also an abolitionist, a result of growing up in the West Indies where slaves outnumbered white people by four to one. Hamilton grew closely attached to one slave, the child of his grandmother's slave.

I respect the man and appreciate his actions for the USA in establishing the bank, the whole tax system and various other financial institutes and ideas still used in the USA today. I also admire him for his abolitionist views in a time when slavery was common and accepted by the majority.

[JohnFKennedy]

In conclusion, on balance, Hamilton was a very bad man.

Well, each is entitled to his own opinion I suppose.

One question though Carl, why do you make such a huge issue of him being born out of wedlock and thus a bastard?

[JohnFKennedy]

I did not mean to disrespect Kenndy

And I did not take it as such. .