8 At Home

CHAPTER 8 At Home Now that he had left his government job, Alexander decided to move his family to a new house called the Grange. The house was in

Harlem, farther north in Manhattan. In 1795, the neighborhood of Harlem was practically considered the country! Alexander named the house the Grange after his father's family's castle in Scotland. Alexander had not seen his father since he was eleven years old, but Alexander had sent money to him. After leaving office, Alexander took a three- week trip around Cayuga Lake in New York State to meet the Native people there. Alexander had often tried to use his influence in the government to protect the rights of American Indians. He helped manage a school that taught both English and American Indian languages. When he returned to the city, he immediately began his law practice once again.

That same year, Alexander received an unexpected letter. It was from the Hamiltons of Scotland, his father's family. They, like the rest of the world, had been watching the formation of this new country and knew that their famous relative had played a role in it. After years of ignoring Alexander because his father was not married to his mother, Alexander's noble Scottish relatives wanted to meet him! Of course he was happy to invite them to visit him in New York.

In the spring of 1796, after seven years of being president, George Washington decided to retire. He asked Alexander to write his Farewell Address. The speech was published on September 19, 1796, and was immediately reprinted in all the newspapers. It is the most famous letter to the nation Washington ever published, but for years, no one knew it was written by Alexander Hamilton!

Washington's Farewell Address George Washington was America's first president and a very popular one. Many people couldn't imagine how the country would be run with anyone else doing the job! So Washington's Farewell Address was very important. In it, he said that if he had been a good president, it was because he had had the support of the American people. Americans were the real strength of their country, and they needed to stick together in order to make it work. The nation did not need him to succeed. They needed one another. John Adams was sworn in as the second president of the United States on March 4, 1797. But Alexander was no longer a part of the

president's cabinet. He was happy just to be spending time with his family. Eliza's sister Angelica, who had been living in England with her husband for years, returned to America, and Alexander and Eliza were very happy to see her again. In August 1797, Alexander and Eliza had another son, William Steven. The Hamiltons had six children, the oldest now fifteen. They were close to both Eliza's family and to Alexander's relatives. They enjoyed welcoming family—and anyone else who needed a place to stay—into their home. For a man who once had no one, Alexander was now surrounded by people who loved him.