What plan did Alexander Hamilton support at the Constitutional Convention?
Asked by: Morton Wehner | Last update: February 5, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes)
At the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Hamilton proposed a very strong national government, often called the Hamilton Plan, featuring a bicameral legislature with a Senate and Assembly, a President, and state governors all serving for life ("during good behavior") to create stability, modeled after the British system, but it was too centralized and largely rejected in favor of plans like the Virginia Plan.
What was the Hamilton Plan for the Constitutional Convention?
Under Hamilton's system, senators and a national "governor" would be chosen by special electors, and would serve for life. Members of an assembly would be elected directly by citizens; each member would serve a three-year term. State governors would be chosen by the national governor.
What were Alexander Hamilton's contributions to the Constitutional Convention?
Hamilton served as one of New York's delegates to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. He proposed that senators and the executive serve for life, and that the executive have an absolute veto. Although his proposals were not fully adopted, Hamilton passionately campaigned for the Constitution.
What did Hamilton say at the Constitutional Convention?
Chairman, that I in my turn, shall be indulged, in addressing the committee—We all, with equal sincerity, profess to be anxious for the establishment of a republican government, on a safe and solid basis—It is the object of the wishes of every honest man in the United States, and I presume I shall not be disbelieved, ...
What was Hamilton's plan called?
In United States history, the Hamiltonian economic program was the set of measures that were proposed by American Founding Father and first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in four notable reports and implemented by Congress during George Washington's first term.
What Did Alexander Hamilton Do In The Constitutional Convention? - History Icons Channel
What compromise did Hamilton make for his plan?
The Compromise of 1790 was a compromise among Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, where Hamilton won the decision for the national government to take over and pay the state debts, and Jefferson and Madison obtained the national capital, called the District of Columbia, for the South.
What did Hamilton consider three main goals?
Hamilton's vision for the economic foundation of the United States included three main programs: 1) the federal assumption of state debts, 2) the creation of a Bank of the United States, and 3) support for the new nation's emerging industries.
What did Alexander Hamilton believe about the Constitution?
Hamilton shared the constitutional principles of his republican contemporaries in his commitment to bicameral legislatures, elected executives, the separation of powers, checks and balances in government, and representative (rather than direct) democracy.
What plans were proposed at the Constitutional Convention?
This short video highlights the four plans discussed during the first two weeks of the Convention: Madison's Virginia Plan; Sherman's New Jersey Plan; Hamilton's “monarchical” plan; and, finally, Madison's amended Virginia Plan.
Did Alexander Hamilton go to the Constitutional Convention?
Alexander Hamilton attended the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and contributed to the The Federalist Papers, considered the best justification for the U.S. constitution ever composed. He later had a powerful impact on both New York and national politics. Your browser can't play this video.
Why did Alexander Hamilton leave the Constitutional Convention?
[6] “When it came to being impatient and impetuous, Hamilton had few peers.”[7] At the time he departed he “no longer felt his presence useful, and the strains had become too great for him to bear.”[8] “His departure was prompted by a combination of hurt feelings over the cool reception to his June 18 speech” along ...
How did Alexander Hamilton convince people to ratify the Constitution?
Hamilton and James Madison led the lobbying efforts for votes in favor of ratifying the Constitution. With assistance from John Jay, they produced the 85 essays known as “The Federalist Papers” that explained and defended how the proposed new government would function.
What type of government did Alexander Hamilton support?
By war's end, he believed the country needed a central government with power over the states, a strong executive, and a national army. Alexander Hamilton, c. 1792.
What were the two plans discussed at the Constitutional Convention?
Hamilton, who said his proposal was not a plan, essentially believed that both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan were inadequate, particularly the latter. On 19 June the Convention rejected the New Jersey Plan and the Hamilton Plan and continued to debate the Virginia Plan for the remainder of the Convention.
What was Hamilton's main objective for ratifying the Constitution?
Alexander Hamilton's main objective for ratifying the Constitution was to establish a strong federal government to unify and strengthen the nation. He believed this was necessary for economic stability and national defense, especially after the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
What did Alexander Hamilton do before the Constitutional Convention?
After the Revolutionary War, Hamilton served as a delegate from New York to the Congress of the Confederation in Philadelphia. He resigned to practice law and founded the Bank of New York.
What was Hamilton's constitutional plan?
He instead proposed a system that featured life terms for the executive and the members in the upper house of the legislature. Hamilton's plan would have essentially subsumed the states into administrative units of the national government.
What new plan was presented at the convention?
The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison and introduced to the Convention by Edmund Randolph on May 29, 1787, proposed the creation of a bicameral national legislature, or a legislature consisting of two houses, in which the “rights of suffrage” in both houses would be proportional to the size of the state.
What were the two proposed plans for the constitution agreed on?
Explanation. Both the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, which were proposed during the Constitutional Convention, agreed on the idea that the new government should have three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Why did Hamilton support a loose interpretation of the Constitution?
Thus, Hamilton believed the best way to cultivate and preserve a republican form of government was to operate on a loose interpretation of the Constitution, predicated on the Necessary and Proper Clause (often referred to as the Elastic Clause), which would better fortify political freedoms for posterity.
Did Alexander Hamilton support the Bill of Rights?
Opposition to the Bill of Rights
Hamilton didn't support the addition of a Bill of Rights because he believed that the Constitution wasn't written to limit the people. It listed the powers of the government and left all that remained to the states and the people.
What does Hamilton express about the authority of the Constitution?
There is no position which depends on clearer principles, than that every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid.
How did Hamilton feel about the constitution?
Yet he liked the resulting Constitution enough to become chief advocate for its approval by the states. Hamilton wrote the bulk of the essays that argued most convincingly for ratification. These essays were first published as a series in New York newspapers, under the title The Federalist.
What was Hamilton's assumption plan?
The Assumption Plan, the bedrock of Hamilton's financial strategy, laid out the specific amounts of state debt to be absorbed by the federal government, along with the fiscal scheme making it possible. Most of the debt had originally been held by ordinary citizens.
What are three things Hamilton is known for?
Incredible Facts About the Life of Alexander Hamilton
- He gained passage to the colonies with the power of his pen. ...
- He was Washington's right-hand man in the Revolutionary War. ...
- He was a self-taught lawyer. ...
- He inspired the first U.S. political party. ...
- Not only did Alexander Hamilton die in a duel – his son did, too.