Alexander Hamilton was born out of wedlock in Charlestown in the Leeward Islands in 1755 or 1757. He was orphaned in 1768 after his mother passed away from a fever. At age 16, he arrived in New Amsterdam on the eve of the American Revolution. During the Revolution, Hamilton urged New Yorkers to rise up against the British Parliament. He achieved the rank of lieutenant through self-education and led a successful raid on British cannons. After the war, Hamilton helped build New York by opening a law firm, founding the first U.S. bank, and mapping out a blueprint to develop American commerce, manufacturing and immigration.