Alexander Hamilton's Childhood Essay Sample

📌Category: Historical Figures, History
📌Words: 1284
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 13 June 2022

Alexander Hamilton’s childhood was filled with terrible, traumatic events that influenced him to be the way he was. Traumatic events, family issues, and personal issues can alter the way someone thinks and acts. So how exactly did Hamilton’s childhood shape him into the man he was known for? There was a whole series of events that occurred. It all started with Hamilton’s father leaving and abandoning already married Rachel, who was his biological mother, Hamilton, and James, who was his older brother. He had left Hamilton and James with no money, unknown land, and an unemployed mother. As traumatic events can shape a person entirely, Hamilton was shaped into a charismatic, confident, outgoing man that he goes down in history as. 

As many studies have shown about children’s health, abandonment has a huge toll to a child’s mental health. As many studies have shown about children’s health, abandonment is the start of many later life issues. The security of a child is entirely dependent on the feelings if permanence the child receives from his mother. With his mother abandoning his brother, Peter, Alexander received that stress and pent up feelings as a very young baby. He could already feel as if there is something unsettling about the relationship between himself and his mother, as if their relationship is not durable. The seeds of abandonment were planted at a very young age, even before he was born. Later on, his father had brought them out to a new area. New land, new people, new everything. Unfortunately, not too long after Alexander’s father abandoned them. The family was left behind in new land, no money, and an unemployed mother. Alexander, just about 11 years old, and his brother, James who was 13, were left with their mother without anything. They had to live in poverty and somehow survive all on their own. His mother, still being married to another man, had caused many people to humiliate her as they called her a ‘whore’. Alexander and James both were called ‘childs of a whore’. At this point, damage had already been done to Alexander as he will have to continue growing up without a solid foundation and family. As stated earlier, security is important to the way a child and person grows up. If there is no security, the child can grow up with many behavioral problems to bleed onto work and personal life. 

Alexander had responded and grown up in the opposite way of what most people would expect. Many people, after they lose their parents from either abandonment or death, would end up being more closed off as to prevent themselves from getting hurt again. Alexander grew up to become a social and outgoing person. Someone who is very passionate about the things he suggests and thinks about. Hamilton may have been a stubborn person, but he has done many good things for our country to build that somewhat solid foundation for the next generation. Maybe his losses in his childhood is what drove him to be so passionate about his work and writing. The past events in a man’s childhood is what shapes him to become the man he is soon known to be. Alexander, known as someone who writes like he's running out of time, had been influenced by his childhood losses that he in fact is running out of time as the days pass by.

Loss and grief also are huge things that can impact a person’s behavior. When children have to go through these tough changes at an early age and very quickly, this drastically changes the way the person acts or thinks. It puts them at high risk of many mental illnesses and problems that correlate to behavioral changes, personality changes, and even physical appearances. Alexander had lost his mother at age 11. Having his father leave him before, his mother dying off caused many things to completely change. For one, he had to live on his own with his brother for a little while before he finally was taken in. It’s unclear whether a cousin or a family friend had taken him in, but he was separated from his brother at an early age. He already had a very unstable environment to begin with and now that the only thing that kept his foundation up had died off, his foundation is no longer standing. His life changed a lot when he had to start working as well. Instead of being a kid the way others were able to, Alexander had to grow up, and somehow bring money to the ‘house’ alongside his brother. Later on, when Alexander is taken in, he loses contact with his brother.

Hamilton’s personality was very outgoing and on the run. You never saw him miss an opportunity on anything. The links of losses to the way he acts are huge. Many people begin to live freely when loved ones die, not caring about what others think as they know everyday they run out of time slowly. Hamilton had never cared much about what others had to say about him, nor did he pay attention to those kinds of people. His impulsive decision making is what caused him to both fail and succeed in his life. This could be due to his past childhood and the way he grew up or just the way he was taught to think. He was always known for “writing like he's running out of time”. He always looked forward towards his goal without looking back twice. A very valuable life skill. Hamilton also had to teach himself social skills expected of someone who has a lot of power. He worked his entire life, since age 13, to where he ended up. He started with absolutely nothing, and ended up getting wealthy while being in charge of the government’s money. It’s very impressive how he went through everything he did, being abandoned, humiliated, suffering lots of loss, and still managed to get himself up and go on to become someone of great success. Many people would have had some real trouble getting back into life. Alexander did have some change in behavior, but he did not let it affect his everyday and work life. Compared to many others, people would struggle emotionally and mentally that would then cross over into their work lives. This is the reason why Hamilton seemed so passionate about the things he has done. Most of his life revolved around loss and suffering that he wanted to help and do something good for the union as a whole.

My father is a great example of someone who can be compared to how Alexander grew up. Both of which their fathers abandoned them. Both of which their mothers died of illnesses. Both of which were left alone with nothing with themselves and their one older sibling in a place they know nothing about. Both of which were 11 years old when they were left alone. Despite Alexander growing up outgoing and open, my father had the opposite effect. My father ended up growing up a very closed off and bold kid. He isn’t one to state feelings, but rather show it through body language. He is very tough on certain discussions and he has many things he is very passionate about. Similar to Hamilton, they both had to get up and provide for themselves and their siblings as well. Both of them have passions that they hold onto dearly. Both like to get things done as if they are “running out of time”. Both of them are very independent and like to get things done in their own way with input from others. There are many similarities to people who have suffered this kind of loss in their lives. Many of which have drastically changed throughout the years of the incident.

Alexander went on to have 8 kids with his wife Elizabeth. He had always loved and cared for all his kids, being the parent he had missed in his childhood. He had grown up to be someone who he wanted in his childhood. Now, he was able to provide for his family, even if he was never truly at home. He loved his family, as to what sources have said, and he was very passionate about his job as a whole.

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