Hamilton

I’ve been reading Ron Chernow’s fantastic biography of Alexander Hamilton, and one of the things that first struck me about the book was how young Hamilton and his friends were leading up to the Revolutionary War!

According to Chernow, Hamilton was nineteen when he matriculated in King’s College, although he likely claimed he was two years younger. The average King’s student at the time entered at fifteen! Aaron Burr tried to get into Princeton at eleven years old, and when they turned him down, he studied by himself for two years to seek admission as a junior. (He was admitted as a sophomore and graduated at sixteen.)

During his time at King’s, Hamilton started making a name for himself by writing revolutionary essays and going toe-to-toe with some of the most prominent Loyalists of the day. As the prospect of war loomed near, he joined one of the newly-formed colonial militias and often drilled in the morning before classes.

I couldn’t help but wonder: what would it be like today if teenagers were called to take on the same responsibilities?