May 12, 2007 — Alexander Hamilton, the founding father who spent part of his childhood in Christiansted, St. Croix, will be featured Monday evening in an episode of the PBS history series “The American Experience.”
“One of the most controversial men of his age, Alexander Hamilton was a gifted statesman brought down by the fatal flaws of stubbornness, extreme candor and arrogance,” says the “American Experience” website. “His life and career were marked by a stunning rise to power, scandal and tragedy. He had one of the most notorious love affairs of any public figure in American history, and met his death in a startling act of political violence — the famous duel with Aaron Burr.”
Born around 1755, Hamilton moved with his family to St. Croix in 1765. Historians credit him with rising from a humble, illegitimate birth on Nevis to serve as George Washington’s right-hand man during the American Revolution and ultimately give the fledgling United States a firm economic foundation.
“As first Secretary of the Treasury during the tumultuous early years of the republic, Hamilton led the transformation of the young country into a commercial and industrial powerhouse,” the website says. It continues, “This two-hour ‘American Experience’ tells the story of the underappreciated genius who laid the groundwork for the nation's modern economy — including the banking system, Wall Street and an ‘opportunity society’ in which talent and hard work, not birth, determined success.”
A previous episode of “American Experience” in 2000, “The Duel,” told the story of the infamous standoff on July 11, 1804, that resulted in Burr fatally wounding Hamilton.
The founding father has been showcased in a different light over the past year thanks to the Internet popularity of a digital short film from the long-running NBC television comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” Called “Lazy Sunday,” the short is a video for a rap song about two guys going to see the “Chronicles of Narnia” movie. The rappers, Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg, flaunt their wealth by freely spending $10 bills, which bear Hamilton’s likeness. “You can call us Aaron Burr from the way we’re droppin’ Hamiltons,” they rap.
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