The Constitution

After the war Hamilton studied law briefly and was admitted to the bar. He served in the Confederation Congress, 1782–83. Returning to private law practice in New York City, he began seeking support for revising the form of the national government.

Hamilton's view was shared by James Madison of Virginia. When the Annapolis Convention of 1786 met to discuss trade regulations, Hamilton and Madison persuaded the group to recommend to Congress that a meeting be held to revise the Articles of Confederation. The result was the Constitutional Convention, held in 1787 at Philadelphia.

In the struggle for ratification, Hamilton, Madison, and John Jay collaborated on the series of articles later entitled The Federalist . These essays were explanations of the proposed new federal government and were of outstanding influence in getting the Constitution ratified.