Myths And Facts Of Alexander Hamilton | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Myths And Facts Of Alexander Hamilton

According to the Broadway Show

3657
Myths And Facts Of Alexander Hamilton
Hamilton Broadway

"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence impoverished, in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?"

Hamilton: An American Musical is a brilliant production about one of country's most important historical figures. Through the music genres of Rap, R&B, and Hip-Hop, this work (written by Lin-Manuel Miranda) has shed a lot of light on the lesser known founding father: Alexander Hamilton.

With Hamilton's birthday coming up on January 11th, I think it would be fun to thin-out the myths facts addressed in the musical. Below, I've listed certain scenes from the production that are historically accurate or inaccurate.

1. Hamilton meets Laurens, Mulligan, and Lafayette at the same time (myth)

In the show, Alexander Hamilton meets John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, and Marquis De Lafayette all at the same time in a tavern. Historically, this is not true. Hamilton meets his three friends at different points throughout his life but Lin-Manuel Miranda has him meet them all at once in order to save time in the show.

2. There were no boys in the Schuyler family (Myth)

"I'm a girl in a world in which my only job is to marry rich. My father has no sons, so I'm the one who has to social climb for one."

While this might be true for Lin-Manuel's Angelica Schuyler, the real Schuyler sister was actually one of fifteen. Angelica Schuyler had four brothers so she really didn't need to social climb for a husband even though she did end up marrying into wealth.

3. "Maratha Washington named her feral tomcat after him!" (That's true!)

Martha Washington did in fact name her cat after Hamilton. The one that she named after him was a male cat (a tomcat) that was always with the female cats. Maratha noticed just how much of a flirt Alexander Hamilton was with the ladies that she couldn't resist to name her "flirtatious" tomcat after him.

4. Jefferson and Washington resigned on the same day (Myth)

In the show, George Washington tells Hamilton that Thomas Jefferson has resigned from his position in the cabinet in order to run for president. When Hamilton makes a remark about how Jefferson doesn't stand a chance against Washington, he gets a rather big shock: Washington states that he too is resigning.

Just to be clear, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did not step down from their positions on the same day. These two events happened about three years apart of each other. It's a slightly distorted fact (like the tavern scene that I mentioned above) in order to save time in the show.

5. "Hamilton wrote the other 51!" (True, but details have been left out)

In order to defend the new U.S. Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and John Jay got together to write a series of 85 anonymous essays to point out the strengths of the Constitution. Of these 85 essays, Hamilton is credited with writing 51 of them.

What many people don't know, is that he got help from his wife, Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton. Alexander had such limited time in order to write the other 51 of the promised 85 essays, that he needed help. Eliza was not only well-educated, but because of her father, knew quite a bit about politics. Enough, at least, in order to aid her husband defend the Constitution.

Even though Alexander Hamilton has long since passed, this article is in honor of him for his birthday. So whether you knew these fun little facts or not, I sincerely hope you got something from it and have learned to appreciate our "ten-dollar, founding father."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

114
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

1704
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

3042
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments