Alexander Hamilton was born a bastard and grew up an orphan. Some might say he didn’t get a fair shake at the start. He was born in Nevis, a very small island that was part of the British West Indies. He was born on Jan. 11, 1755. Or 1757. There isn’t an official record of his birth. His father, James Hamilton, had left the family early in his childhood, and only a few years before his mother, Rachel Faucette, died.
Alexander Hamilton, circa 1785. Engraving by Girsch. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
By the time he reached adolescence, Hamilton was working as a clerk about 150 miles from Nevis in St. Croix. At the time, this island was a Danish possession. Hamilton, possessing no formal education, educated himself, and cultivated a gift for prose, even poetry. The social storms of his life had tossed him, but never capsized him. When a physical storm tore through St. Croix on Aug. 31, 1772, he would unwittingly capitalize on its destructive power….