Artigo Revisado por pares

A Love Letter from Alexander Hamilton to His "Nut-Brown Maid"

2004; Oxford University Press; Volume: 18; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/maghis/18.4.49

ISSN

1938-2340

Autores

Richard Brookhiser,

Tópico(s)

Historical Economic and Social Studies

Resumo

This letter from Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Schuyler, written October 6, 1780, reflects a courtship heading down its homestretch—author and recipient would be married in two months. They were a well-suited, yet asymmetrical pair. Elizabeth Schuyler, the “nut-brown maid,” was fortune's favorite. She was the second-eldest daughter of Philip Schuyler, general, congressman, wealthy landowner. Elizabeth, also known as Eliza and Betsey, was a spirited girl, and the charitable work of her later life would show her to be principled and competent. Colonel Alexander Hamilton was in some respects even more favored—at the young age of 23, he was already showing that he was one of the most talented members of America's greatest generation. George Washington, on whose staff he had worked since 1777, had spotted him as a comer. His looks, his manner and his uniform added charm and dash. His station in life, however, was much more problematic than...

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