In Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith argued for a market system beyond the mercantilism of the day.
Before Adam Smith, the world thought of the world economy as a fixed pie. Countries would fight for dominance on slices of the pie. As a result, Government controlled much of the market.
Adam Smith came in and argued in Wealth of Nations for a free market wherein individuals would work to further their own interests, allowing the markets to grow.
He worked his way to the top. Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 or 1757, on Nevis, in the British West Indies. His father, James, abandoned his mother, Rachel, in 1765
