long before the hit broadway show “hamilton, the actual mr. alexander hamilton, as a child, gave performances that may have helped shape america. these performances influenced his values and morals. these performances perhaps assisted mr. hamilton’s understanding of how to both found and grow a country.
mr. alexander hamilton was an american founding father. he authored many of the federalist papers and served as the first secretary of the treasury. if you open your wallet, you will find him on the $10.00 bill. his accomplishments are too many to discuss in this post.
mr. hamilton’s early education was unique. according to wikipedia, “the church of england denied membership to alexander and james hamilton jr.—and education in the church school—because their parents were not legally married. they received “individual tutoring” and classes in a private school led by a jewish headmistress. alexander supplemented his education with the family library of 34 books.” wikipedia.
it was reported that mr. hamilton’s teacher at this private school would place him up on a table so he could be at eye level with her. he would then recite to her the ten commandments in hebrew. jns.org. these performances left such a lasting impression upon mr. hamilton that he made it a point to tell of it to his children about them.
thus, despite mr. hamilton’s unusual upbringing at the time which prevented him from participating in the church education, the ten commandments played an important role in his studies. it also laid a powerful foundation for his morals and values. when being involved in the founding a country, mr. hamilton benefited from his knowledge of the ancient text which expressed foundational principles for a nation of free people.
in sum, this is another example why children must be given the opportunity to learn the ten commandments. while the hamilton play may be great and the songs entertaining, mr. hamilton’s writings, ideas, and institutions have played a large role in how we live our lives in the united states. we should all be fortunate that mr. hamilton was grounded by ten commandments’ principles.
be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 