On this day (June 18) in 1787, the ambitious, precocious New York delegate Alexander Hamilton gave what proved to be the longest speech at the Constitutional Convention in which he articulated his conservative political philosophy and put forth his plan of government.

At the age of 32, Hamilton had already acquired an enviable reputation as a courageous soldier, as a valuable member of Gen. George Washington’s military staff, as a hardworking legislator, and as a successful New York lawyer.

Delegate William Pierce of Georgia, in his biographical sketches of his fellow delegates, observed that “Colo. Hamilton is deservedly celebrated for his talents. He is a practitioner of the Law, and reputed to be a finished Scholar.”