Although the College bears his name, few students at Hamilton have had the opportunity to study Alexander Hamilton. Mike Mortimer '07 (Montague, NJ) plans to become one of the Hamilton experts at Hamilton after his Emerson research project. His project explores the private Alexander Hamilton and his personal relationship with George Washington.
Mortimer explained that Hamilton "played a central role in the Constitutional Convention and practically built the American financial infrastructure in the new republic. He wielded considerable power in both the Federalist Party and President Washington's cabinet [and] achieved this power and influence due in a large part to close personal friendship with George Washington." In his project, titled "Hamilton and Washington: The Genesis of an Epic Friendship," Mortimer will do historical research to discover the depth, dynamics and genesis of their friendship.
Mortimer will be working with Professor Douglas Ambrose and will investigative primary documents from both Washington and Hamilton, as well as documents produced by their close friends, including the Marquis de Lafayette, Nathaniel Greene, John Laurens, Tench Tilghman, Elizabeth, Schuyler Hamilton, Martha Washington, General Philip Schuyler, and other prominent Revolutionary figures who knew Hamilton and Washington intimately.
Mortimer explained that as a government major learning about America's political system, he gained an appreciation for Hamilton as both an historical figure and an individual who profoundly shaped the United States system of governance. "Although Alexander Hamilton's public side is well known, his private side remains somewhat elusive. I wanted to examine the private aspects of Alexander Hamilton which underlay his public accomplishments," he said.
In order to look at papers by Lafayette, Tench Tilghman, and Elizabeth "Betsy" Schuyler Hamilton, Mortimer plans to travel to Cornell University, Maryland, and New York City.
Mortimer may present his summer research at an upcoming Alexander Hamilton Conference which the college is hosting in the fall of 2005.
Created in 1997, the Emerson Foundation Grant program was designed to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest. The recipients, covering a range of topics, will explore fieldwork, laboratory and library research, and the development of teaching materials. The projects will be initiated this summer, and the students will make public presentations of their research throughout the 2005-2006 academic year.
-- by Emily Lemanczyk '05
