Hamilton

22. Listening Comprehension. Give a full account of the story “Alexander Hamilton”.

The topic under discussion deals with the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers, whose name is Alexander Hamilton. I’d like to present brief overview of the audio book of the same name produced by Ron Chernow, an American biographer. He is the author of the world-wide known books “Alexander Hamilton”, ‘The House of Morgan”, and “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller”.

Alexander Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis. As a child he received little formal schooling. When his mother died, the boy took his first job as a clerk. Then he was sent to study first at Elizabeth town Academy and then to King’s College in New York City. In 1776 Alexander Hamilton formed a local army to fight in the American Revolution against the British. He participated in several battles. After the war Alexander Hamilton was one of New York’s most prominent lawyers and also began his political career.

In 1784, Alexander Hamilton founded the Bank of New York. His public career resumed when he attended the Annapolis Convention as a delegate in 1786.

When George Washington became the first president of the USA in 1790, he selected Alexander Hamilton as his first secretary of the Treasury.

Hamilton resigned from office in 1795 and returned to the practice of law in New York. He kept his hand in politics and was a powerful influence on the cabinet of President Adams (1797–1801). Hamilton’s opposition to John Adams helped cause Adams defeat in the 1800 elections. When Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the electoral college, Hamilton helped defeat his bitter personal enemy Burr and elect Jefferson as president. In 1804, Hamilton once again opposed the candidacy of Burr. Taking offense at some of Hamilton's comments, Burr challenged him to a duel in which Hamilton was mortally wounded.

we learn that Alexander Hamilton was a brilliant orator, who was always striving for leadership both...