Everyone should have heard the buzz about "Hamilton," the play about the a United States Founding Father. The musical arguably convinced those responsible to move Harriet Tubman from the $10 bill, where Alexander Hamilton resides, to the $20 bill, where Andrew Jackson currently resides. It also closes a part of West 46th Street in New York City nearly every Wednesday for the "Ham4Ham" show. The musical was also nominated for a record breaking 16 nominations for the 2016 Tony Awards, winning 11, including best musical.
All this because of one man, Alexander Hamilton. But who was he? I'll attempt to summarize his political rise and highlight his achievements so that you too can understand why he's more than just the man on the $10 bill. All biographical info that I'll provide comes from "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow. For more information, read the book. Although it might take you a while, it is well worth it.
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Alexander Hamilton was born and spent most of his early childhood on an island called Nevis. After moving about the Caribbean for several years, Hamilton, his brother and mother all settled in St. Croix, where the mother caught a deadly fever. His brother and him moved in with an older cousin, but less than six months later his cousin had committed suicide. Alexander started to work in the trading business, controlling his company's port in St. Croix for about six months, and his intellect was soon noticed by the community. Sponsored by various strangers across the island, Hamilton ultimately boarded a ship on the way to the United States.
He studied at King's College in New York City and quickly established his view on the possibility of a revolution. He got into written quarrels with many people, including Samuel Seabury, a loyalist and a Church of England clergyman. One such quarrel is seen in the musical under the song "The Farmer Refuted" which is also the name of the essay that Hamilton published to refute some of Seabury's loyalist pamphlets.
During the Revolutionary War, Hamilton became George Washington's writer. Although he direly wanted to be on the battlefield, Washington insisted that he take care of everything on the shadowed side of the war. He was the man behind the curtain, maybe why he rarely gets credit in present times. However, he did receive his chance on the battlegrounds when he was put in charge of a battalion in the Battle of Yorktown. He worked with Washington and Marquis de Lafayette to trap the British, thanks to intel from Hercules Mulligan who was an American spy, and end the war.
After the war, John Jay, James Madison, and Hamilton wrote a series of 85 essays and published them over the span of six months; these were called the Federalist Papers. Hamilton speaks at the Constitutional Convention, where he presents a rough copy of the United States Constitution. He also became George Washington's Treasury Secretary, and he had his hands in several key decisions. Such decisions include nationalizing the banks, neutralizing America in France's Revolution, promoting manufacturing, and started the United States Coast Guard, originally known as the Revenue Cutter Service. He also continued to write many of Washington's speeches and business letters – Hamilton's writing was simply second to none.
He died because of a dual with Aaron Burr. In my opinion, duels are probably one of the most foolish parts of American history, so I won't spend too much time on it because it doesn't deserve that time. But essentially, Burr had repeatedly felt abused by Hamilton. Burr drew the line when Hamilton endorsed Thomas Jefferson for President. It is told by more several witnesses that right before they shot, Hamilton raised his pistol to the sky. This, like his son Phillip, was his fatal flaw. The Vice President of the United States had participated and "won" a duel.
After his death, his wife Elizabeth continued to promote his vision of anti-slavery and pro-industrialization, despite the fact Hamilton's infidelity with Maria Reynolds. Elizabeth died at the age of 97, nearly a semi-centennial after Alexander's death.
That's my summary, but it doesn't do Alexander Hamilton justice. Definitely read Ron Chernow's biography, "Alexander Hamilton" because you will not be disappointed. Hamilton wrote himself out of odds that any exceptional person would have quivered and fallen at. Hamilton was an extraordinary man, so it's no surprise that Lin-Manuel Miranda found it obvious to dedicate a musical to him. Alexander Hamilton is now living his legacy through "Hamilton" and through the thousands of people like me who find inspiration in his story.
