Identifier: americanaunivers08newy (find matches)
Title: The Americana; a universal reference library, comprising the arts and sciences, literature, history, biography, geography, commerce, etc., of the world
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Publisher: New York : Scientific American Compiling Dept.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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d nosupport in the convention. Hamilton withdrew,only returning to engage in the final debates,and at the close he heartily embraced the workof the convention and signed the Constitutionas actually adopted. The Constitution was still to be ratified bythe States. Xew York was opposed to its adop-tion. There were numerous internal strifes andjealousies, but with great power and determina-tion, Hamilton combated and won over all op-ponents in the legislature, and by his essays inthe Federalist. assisted by Madison and Jay. hesuccessfully fought the great battle for the Con-stitution, winning a hostile majority- to its sup-port. Of these essays (jeorge William Curtisdeclared they gave birth to -American constitu-tional law, which was thus placed above arbi-trarj- construction and brought into the domainof legal truth. Washington was inaugurated President in.\pril 1789. In September 1789 Congress passedan act establishing a Treasury Department, andWashington at one: made Hamilton the first
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ALEXAXDER IIAAIILIOX. HAMILTON Secretary of the Treasury. His creative, con-structive and practical mind was now confrontedwith the problem of giving to his country aworkable system of national administration.With a masters hand he organized the TreasuryDepartment; reduced the confused finances toorder; provided for a funded system and asound system of national taxation; inducedCongress to assume the State debts; authorizedmethods for the establishing of a national bankand a mint., the raising and collection of inter-nal revenue, the management of the public lands,and the purchase of \Vest Point by the govern-ment. In 1791 his Report on Industry andCommerce appeared, wherein he discussed withprofound ability and clearness the economicproblems of his time, and inaugurated, in a verymoderate way, the protective tariff system. Hismethods to strengthen the national governmentwere vigorously opposed by those antagonisticto centralization, chief among whom wasThomas Jefferson (q.v.), and th

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