Alexander Hamilton was a boy orphaned in the West Indies who came to America to fight as a Patriot in the American Revolution. His early apprenticeship at the trading firm of Beekman and Cruger on St. Croix gave him a strong foundation and wide array of skills in finance, economics, the evaluation of commodities, international trade, the exchange of currencies and other areas that would be essential tools he utilized later in life to help create the United States Constitution, as well as guide the nation through difficult times following the Revolutionary War as Secretary of the Treasury. His numerous recommendations implemented as Secretary of the Treasury transformed the nation from a bankrupt collection of independent states to a unified, prosperous entity. The institutions he founded and promoted helped the country to become the most successful in human history.