Croix instilled in him a hatred for the brutalities of slavery. Some historians maintain that Hamilton's birth on the island of Nevis and his subsequent upbringing in St. When Hamilton had to make a choice between his social ambitions and his desire to free slaves, he opted to follow his ambitions. During the eighteenth century, a large number of upper-class Americans held slaves. His humble birth meant that he would not only have to work hard but that he would have to befriend the right people - the wealthy and influential. One of Alexander Hamilton's main goals in life was to rise to a higher position in society. Hamilton's decisions show that his desire for the abolition of slavery was not his priority. In the instances where Hamilton supported granting freedom to blacks, his primary motive was based more on practical concerns rather than an ideological view of slavery as immoral. Hamilton was not an advocate of slavery, but when the issue of slavery came into conflict with his personal ambitions, his belief in property rights, or his belief of what would promote America's interests, Hamilton chose those goals over opposing slavery.
Hamilton's position on slavery is more complex than his biographers' suggest. Biographer Forest McDonald maintained, "Hamilton was an abolitionist, and on that subject he never wavered." Miller insisted, "He advocated one of the most daring invasions of property rights that was ever made- the abolition of Negro slavery. University at Albany, State University of New YorkĪlexander Hamilton's biographers praise Hamilton for being an abolitionist, but they have overstated Hamilton's stance on slavery. Hamilton and Slavery Somewhere in Between: Alexander Hamilton and Slavery
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