[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10809-S10810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Nelson 
        of Florida, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Crapo):
  S. 1969. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 
a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility 
of designating Estate Grange and other sites related to Alexander 
Hamilton's life on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin 
Islands as a unit of the National Park System, and for other

[[Page S10810]]

purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Alexander 
Hamilton Boyhood Home Act of 2007, a bill to study the suitability and 
feasibility of bringing resources related to Alexander Hamilton's 
boyhood on the island of St. Croix under the National Park System. I 
would like to thank Senators Rockefeller, Bayh, Bill Nelson, Brownback, 
Harkin, and Crapo for lending early support to this legislation as 
original cosponsors. I especially note the strong support of Senator 
Rockefeller, who along with his family, has a special interest in this 
part of the U.S.
  Too little is known about Hamilton's childhood on the islands. We 
know he was born as a British subject on the island of Nevis in 1755. 
By the age of 10 he and his brother James found themselves under Danish 
rule on the island of St. Croix. Alexander's father had abandoned them, 
so his mother Rachel Faucett was the primary care giver and bread 
winner. It is believed they initially spent their days on a sugar 
plantation at Estate Grange, which was owned by Rachel's sister, Ann, 
and her husband, James Lytton. The Lyttons generously supported Rachel 
and her two boys for a short time. When the plantation was sold, the 
Lyttons helped Rachel to set up a store with an apartment on the upper 
floor in the nearby town of Christiansted.
  They had been there less than a year and Alexander, as an 11-year-old 
boy, had already taken a job as a clerk at the Beekman and Cruger 
trading post. This connection would serve him well after his mother 
died in 1769 and he was left to fend for himself. His early years with 
Beekman and Cruger not only supported him financially, but they 
introduced him to business, economics, and trade.
  Hamilton learned a great deal from his surroundings on St. Croix, and 
his political ideologies as an adult were clearly influenced by his 
boyhood in the West Indies. His mother was known to have the largest 
library on the island, consisting of 34 classical books of various 
topics. Everyday life and culture must have left an impression on him, 
as well. He was constantly exposed to the brutality of slavery, which 
drove the plantation economy on St. Croix. His distaste for it as a boy 
would grow into political opposition to it in America. Historians also 
note that maturing in the West Indies made him unique among other 
American politicians of the day because he never had any loyalty to a 
specific State or region. He perceived the U.S. as one unified Nation 
with a strong central Government. To advocate that belief, Hamilton 
would later found the Federalist Party in America.
  Through his work, Alexander made several connections with influential 
people in the town. As he grew older, they began to recognize his 
talent and intellect and they decided to send him to New York with the 
funds to obtain an education. He left St. Croix at age 17, never to 
return, and the rest is now a central aspect of our Nation's history.
  Hamilton went on to be one of the great statesmen of our history, a 
Founding Father who was influential in all of the stages of our 
blossoming Nation. He fought with the colonies during the American 
Revolution and served as General Washington's personal secretary. After 
the Revolution he was elected to the Continental Congress. He authored 
the Federalist Papers to advocate ratification of the Constitution, 
which he would pen his own name to as a delegate from New York. Of 
course, he may be remembered most for his appointment as the first 
Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington. His visage 
is perpetuated in history on the $10 bill as one of only two non-
presidential faces appearing on U.S. currency.
  Alexander Hamilton's immeasurable influence on the progress of our 
Nation deserves to be remembered and recognized. The remaining links to 
his boyhood on the island of St. Croix should be preserved and 
recognized for the benefit of the people. The Great House at Estate 
Grange is still there today along with a memorial marking the site 
where Alexander's mother was laid to rest. I urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation which would establish and fund a study to 
determine the feasability and suitability of a heritage area on St. 
Croix in honor of one of our Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton.
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