Alexander Hamilton: the man, the musical and thoughts for today

This weekend is the anniversary of the famous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. At dawn on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton met at Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton would later die the following afternoon on July 12, 1804, 216 years ago. With the help of the brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda, he is back in the forefront of American minds. With the release of Hamilton (2015) on Disney+, the story of this founding father is reaching a wider audience than ever before. While I was in school, I knew his name and his basic contributions as a founding father. I first learned of the famous duel, and this might be true for many people, in the 1993 Got Milk? commercial. However, it would not be until I was in college when I took a US History course that I was exposed to more detail about this man. I remember my professor being a great admirer of Hamilton and used him as an example of someone who pulled himself up from nothing and made his mark on history.

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 or 1757 in Nevis, British West Indies. He would come to New York, orphaned, with no money to his name, at a time when change was brewing. He would become General George Washington’s right-hand man and eventually lead his own battalion at the Battle of Yorktown to help end the war. By the end of his life, he would accomplish so much. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the US Constitution as well as the first Secretary of the Treasury. He was the founder of the US financial system. He was the founder of the Federalist Party. He was the founder of the US Coast Guard and founder of the New York Evening Post newspaper. He was a prolific writer, writing 51 of the 85 Federalist Papers. He is generally regarded as an astute and intellectually brilliant politician and financier. He was also known to be impulsive which led to the end of his political career as well as personal issues. He was an abolitionist as he had written “Who talks most about freedom and equality? Is it not those who hold the bill of rights in one hand and a whip for affrighted slaves in the other?” However, his close friendships and other relationships, including his father-in-law, Philip Schuyler, indicated “he somewhat partook in the system himself” (Vincenty, 2020).

No musical since The Phantom of the Opera (1986) and Les Misérables (1980) had captured my heart, soul and mind but Hamilton has. I’ve been eager to see it since I saw an interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda when the musical was first gaining popularity. I’m not a huge fan of hip-hop but I was curious how Miranda would mix hip-hop with the story of Alexander Hamilton. When it was released on Disney+, I was excited, I sat down and prepared myself to see the musical that took the country by storm. From the opening refrains, I was hooked. The hip-hop rhythms worked and flowed. Telling his story as a young man of 19 as revolution was brewing through his political rise and fall, and ending with his death, Hamilton highlights the man, his strengths and weaknesses, and shows that Alexander Hamilton isn’t given enough credit for his role in the creation of this beautiful country. Even though the story is about Alexander Hamilton, I think Eliza Schuyler Hamilton is a heroine of his story as well. She would live additional 50 years after her husband’s death and worked to preserve his memory as well continue the work, he didn’t have a chance to do including abolitionist activism. One of my favorite songs is “Helpless” which tells the story of Alexander meeting Eliza, their romance and wedding. Another song is the ending, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” as the characters reflect on their legacies and how their stories will be told for future generations. It’s a reminder us to use the time we have because we never know if we’ll have more time.

In today’s social climate, many are looking back at our founding fathers in a new light. Many have called for their statutes to be removed. We, as Americans, have been taught to revere and hold the founding fathers and even our leaders, to hero/icon statues, that we often ignore or push aside their mistakes and faults. Because they were human too. As Shannon Lallier, co-author of Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family, said “He [Thomas Jefferson] was a brilliant man who preached equality, but he didn’t practice it. He owned people” (Halliday, 2020). We need celebrate these men and women’s accomplishments as well as acknowledge and learn from their mistakes and faults. Hamilton’s 5^th great-grandson, Douglas Hamilton agrees, “None of us are perfect. None of them were perfect” (Somerville, 2020). As Aaron Burr sings in Hamilton, “Life doesn't discriminate/Between the sinners and the saints/It takes and it takes and it takes/And we keep living anyway/We rise and we fall and we break/And we make our mistakes,” we need to examine the whole person in the situations in which they faced. They didn’t have the benefit of hindsight like we do. We can look back on their successes and their mistakes. To learn from their example. To be better. “I think we do need to keep the past. You need to understand it. You do need to learn from it. But, at the same time, you need to look forward and say, ‘How can we get better?” (Sommerville, 2020).

In conclusion, on this anniversary of the famous duel and his death, we look back on Alexander Hamilton. He was a man of flaws and amazing intellect. He wasn’t saintly, he made mistakes, but he left a legacy that we cannot ignore. Hamilton is a brilliant show about one man and the creation of our country. American is the land of opportunity and Alexander Hamilton is one of many examples of men and women rising from nothing to make a better life for him or herself as well as make a huge impact on America. There are many examples that follow him who came to this country with nothing and become something. We have the benefit to learn from history. To learn about the men and women, good and bad, to follow their path and avoid their mistakes. We cannot undo their mistakes, but we can learn from them. Erasing the statutes for the individuals’ mistakes doesn’t erase their successes and impact on our country. I highly recommend watching Hamilton, the brilliance of the music, the talents of the cast are worth the time spent.

References

Halliday, Ayun (July 6, 2020). Thomas Jefferson’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandson Poses for a Presidential Portrait. Open Culture. http://www.openculture.com/2020/07/shannon-lanier-poses-as-his-sixth-great-grandfather-thomas-jefferson-two-portraits-juxtaposed.html. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

Somerville, Bryant. (July 7, 2020). Westerville man, relative of Alexander Hamilton, talks history, today’s racial climate. WBNS. https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/westerville-man-relative-of-alexander-hamilton-talks-history-todays-racial-climate/530-9f3764fb-7a25-4845-921d-251ba5b5cf79. Retrieved July 7, 2020.

Vincenty, Samantha (July 6, 2020). Lin-Manuel Miranda Responds to the "Hamilton is Canceled" Controversy. O The Oprah Magazine. https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a33216431/hamilton-cancelled-lin-manuel-miranda/. Retrieved July 7, 2020.