Hamilton was born out of wedlock in Charlestown, Nevis. He took an early role in the militia as the American Revolutionary War began rising to become George Washington's aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States. Historians have long told the story of America's birth as the triumph of Jefferson's democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Hamilton - from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. Maria Reynolds, a woman Hamilton had an affair with. The repercussions were discussed in-depth, like the Reynolds Pamphlet, which caused an immense amount of backlash. The book finally comes to a close with the death of Alexander, in a duel with Burr due to the fact that Hamilton endorsed Jefferson over him during an election. Burr that fatally shot Hamilton, leaving Eliza to carry on his legacy. Never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton's famous and mysterious death in a duel with then-Vice President Aaron Burr in July of 1804. Hamilton is generally regarded as an astute and intellectually brilliant politician and financier, if often impetuous. His ideas are credited with laying the foundation for American government and finance.