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Hamilton – Contrasting The Man and The Musical

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By Naveen Unnikrishnan 18 min read

Originally written for a term paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the course Modern Political Concepts (GS F211) under Prof. Hari Nair.

1. Aim

The aim of this paper is to study how Alexander Hamilton, Founding Father and the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America influenced politics in the 18th century and to compare his political impact with the effect “Hamilton: An American Musical” has had on present-day American political thought and nationalism while studying the effects of performing art on politics.

2. Alexander Hamilton – An Introduction

Alexander Hamilton (Jan 11, 1755 or 17571 – Jul 12, 1804) was born in Nevis in the British West Indies out of wedlock to Rachel Faucette, a married woman of half-British and half-French Huguenot descent, and James A. Hamilton2 , a Scotsman. British authorities colonized Nevis with vagabonds, criminals, and other riffraff swept from the London streets to work as indentured servants or overseers. Unlike the other founding fathers, Hamilton grew up in a tropical hellhole of dissipated whites and fractious slaves[3].

A lot of Hamilton’s political views might be explained by his early life in the West Indies. From his first tentative forays in prose and verse, we can guess that Alexander Pope’s poetry, Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Plutarch’s Lives, must all have had their sacred place on Hamilton’s bookshelf[4].

The years between 1765 and 1769 were a rough period for Alexander and his elder brother James. Their father had vanished, and their mother, cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandmother had all died. Such repeated shocks must have stripped Alexander Hamilton of any sense that life was fair or that he could ever count on help from anyone[5].

For a year after his mother’s death, Alexander was held in painful suspense by the probate court and perhaps absorbed the useful lesson that people who manipulate the law wield the real power in society[6]. The events of his youth, and the literature he read certainly affected his political thinking later on in life.

3. Hamilton’s Political Philosophy

Hamilton’s impact on modern-day politics stems from his prominent role in George Washington’s administration as his aide and as the Secretary of the Treasury, and from the numerous essays he wrote interpreting and backing the first US constitution, now titled The Federalist Papers3.

3.1 Economy

To Jefferson and his followers, devoted to their dream of an agrarian America, Hamilton—the proponent of banks, factories, and stock exchanges—was a pawn of the British Crown, a closet monarchist, and a Machiavellian intriguer[9].

As America’s first Treasury Secretary, Hamilton fought vehemently for his financial system, which, upon completion, became the basis of the American economy for the USA’s formative years. This system was controversial because it called for the assumption of state war debts into a single national debt. This provided relief for the debt-choked north, but placed an increased burden on the debt free south. This would be accomplished through the creation of a National Bank. In addition, the system called for the creation and trading of stock, which Hamilton believed would help spur trade, create capital, and lower interest rates. Also important was Hamilton’s currency system, which he believed should be backed by precious metals, and was conceived to be compatible with European coinage, showing Hamilton’s belief in the necessity of trade[8].

3.2 Foreign policy

In the domain of foreign policy, Hamilton’s realism in some respects resembled that of Machiavelli. However, Hamilton considered international obligations to be morally binding; only in extreme cases could they be justifiably suspended[10]. Hamilton felt that domestic unification was more important than international relations. According to him, If they secured their own internal unity, the United States could “enjoy an advantage similar to that of an insulated situation”[11].

3.3 The Federalist Papers

The overall argument made through the Federalist Papers was that the expansion of government from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution would not inherently allow for the federal government to become tyrannical. Federalist No. 70 balances the risk of tyranny versus the checks held over a single executive, and Federalist No. 78 explains the necessity of an independent judiciary to maintain independent rule of law. With that said, Hamilton clearly advocated for a powerful federal government, his financial system demonstrated that, as did his view that the executive be elected for life-long terms. He endorsed limits on the government, but those limits were relatively widely spread[8].

4. Hamilton: An American Musical – An Introduction

“Hamilton: An American Musical” is a Broadway musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow. After having debuted in February 2015, it has gone on to achieve critical acclaim and huge box office returns. The musical became immensely popular owing to the use of hip-hop, R&B, pop, soul, traditional-style show tunes, and color-conscious casting of non-white actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures.

5. Political influence of Hamilton: An American Musical

Since its release in 2015, Hamilton has been a cultural juggernaut in the United States. It fuses American history with current politics, using a soundtrack of American popular music and one of the most inventive librettos ever written. The result is that nearly every song in the show works as a complex historical concert, layering musical pasts with the musical present, just as the historical past mingles with the political present. In addition to its critical acclaim, Hamilton gained notoriety for its almost entirely diverse cast. Every American or American ally is played by a person of African, Asian, or Hispanic descent (like Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Puerto Rican), with the only white member of the primary cast playing King George III.

The first act of the musical describes the period before, and leading up to, the declaration of US independence. The second act is more politically involved, and depicts Hamilton’s feuds with Thomas Jefferson and his supporters. Jefferson takes up the role of the antagonist, along with then-Vice President Aaron Burr, “the damn fool that shot” Hamilton[12].

5.1 In The Obama Era

Miranda first performed the opening piece from the show at a White House Poetry Jam in 2009[13]. Since then, the musical has had close ties with the Obama presidency4 and the Democratic Party, with politicians like Hillary Clinton5 having expressed admiration for the show. Miranda’s Hamilton so perfectly matches the sensibilities of mainstream Obama-era Democrats that the Democratic National Committee turned a 2015 Hamilton performance into a fundraiser[16].

In 2016, then-Vice President-Elect Mike Pence and his family attended the show, and sparked the most political moment of the show’s history. Before and during the show, Pence was loudly booed. After the show, a member of the cast read a prepared statement asking Pence to look out for all Americans, with the clearly implied message being against now-President Trump’s rhetoric on minorities. Though Pence listened to the message, and expressed not being upset or offended by the delivery, some conservatives criticized the incident[17]. In contrast, progressives saw the incident as a powerful example of speaking out against the incoming administration. Hamilton, became newly celebrated as a hero of the progressive left[18].

For decades, the Democratic party held up Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson as ideological role models, as evidenced by the prevalence of “Jefferson-Jackson Dinners” used as fundraisers across the country. However, in recent years, some factions of the Democratic Party have moved away from the two slaveholding presidents. This has sparked a debate over Jefferson’s legacy, and whether he has a place in the modern liberal/progressive movement that the Democrats represent[19]. Jackson’s popularity too, has been on the decline. In 2015, a decision to replace Hamilton with Harriet Tubman on the $10 bill met with heavy backlash with several movements asking for Jackson to be replaced instead[20].

As Alexander Hamilton has become a progressive icon off of a Hamilton wave, Jefferson, who is an antagonist in the musical, has lost popularity. On the other hand, the adoption of Alexander Hamilton as a progressive icon stands at odds with years of beliefs about the Founding Father. To many conservatives, the original Treasury Secretary should be taken as a member of their ranks.

5.2 In The Trump Era

Trump kicked off his presidential campaign with a charge that Mexico is sending its “criminals” and “rapists” to the US, “and some, I assume, are good people”. His promise to build the wall was a perennial crowd pleaser, and he also vowed to round up and deport 11 million undocumented people. The musical represents a different idea. When about to fight the Battle of Yorktown, Hamilton and his French ally, the Marquis de Lafayette high-five each other over their revolutionary accomplishments and declare “Immigrants, we get the job done.”

Miranda’s response to Trump’s victory was to pre-release a salient track from the forthcoming “Hamilton Mixtape”, a reworking of songs from the show by various artists. The track takes its title, “Immigrants, We Get the Job Done”, from the aforementioned line in the show that has only increased in resonance during Trump’s ascendancy. “This election cycle has brought xenophobia and vilification of immigrants back to the forefront of US politics. This is a musical counterweight”, Miranda said about the song[21].

While in the Obama era, Hamilton was a celebration of the country’s increasing diversity, now, in the Trump era, it has become a vehicle of protest. Miranda’s Hamilon has become a champion of minorities, both of descendants of former slaves, and of immigrants from all over the world.

5.3 Historical accuracy

In “Hamilton: The Revolution”, the book about the writing of the musical, Miranda openly admits where he deviated from history. Ron Chernow, the historian whose biography of Hamilton inspired Miranda to create the musical, acted as a historical consultant. Chernow openly praises Miranda’s commitment to historical accuracy in the musical, stating that Miranda “starts with the presumption that he’ll use the historical facts and see if they work”[22]. Despite these efforts, poetic license was taken throughout the show – the musical merges events, drops historical figures and moments, and changes the historic timeline.

It is important to note that Hamilton, glosses over many slavery-related points that could be present in the show. While Thomas Jefferson and James Madison are both called out for owning slaves, George Washington is only shown to be a slaveholder in passing. Hamilton himself was, and is, regarded as being one of the most pro-abolition Founding Fathers[8].

6. Comparing the man and the musical

Hamilton, is now a liberal icon and has become synonymous with movements supporting african-americans, immigrants, and other minority classes. The Democrats have adopted the musical as representative of their ideologies and beliefs. This section seeks to examine how different Hamilton’s philosophies were from that of Miranda’s Hamilton.

6.1 On slavery

As is depicted in the musical, Hamilton was steadfastly committed to the eventual abolition of slavery. The first attempt at a compensated emancipation was conceived early in Hamilton’s career by his friend John Laurens6 who recommended that the states of South Carolina and Georgia raise several battalions of Negro troops under the command of white officers to aid in the defense of the South during the Revolutionary War. The Congress would pay slaveholders up to one thousand dollars for each slave that was enlisted, and upon faithful completion of service, each Negro soldier would “be emancipated and receive the sum of fifty dollars”[23].

6.2 On immigration and immigrants

Hamilton came to America as a poor immigrant from the Caribbean. The musical plays up Hamilton’s immigrant past, and generally portrays immigrants as important to American history (as is expressed through the line “Immigrants, we get the job done”). However, Hamilton himself did not necessarily hold this view.

The lionization of Hamilton as the exemplar of America’s immigrant7 ideal neglects his ultimate endorsement of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which made it harder for immigrants to become citizens while allowing their deportation if they were suspected of disloyalty. It was Jefferson who led the opposition to this policy, and his victory in the presidential election of 1800 brought most of its provisions to an end[24]. Interestingly, the other antagonist in Hamilton, Aaron Burr, also opposed the anti-immigration laws8.

6.3 On social and economic equality

Hamilton’s views on immigration are symptomatic of a larger anti-egalitarian worldview, which the musical conveniently ignores. Hamilton openly admired the British aristocratic system, and built his financial system knowing that it would create an American aristocracy.

Almost entirely missing from the musical are the heavy class implications of Hamilton’s financial plan. His scheme, though extraordinarily successful at its main goals of achieving financial stability, also included taxing the poor to give to the rich. Hamilton, an unapologetic elitist, didn’t mind this, and neither did Washington. At the time, voting rights were generally restricted to the more prosperous citizens (specific rules varied by state), and Washington was overwhelmingly popular, so his viewpoint prevailed despite the ugly distributive implications[25].

6.4 Closing remarks

A major effect of the musical has been that it disrupted pre-existing notions of past political figures and realigned their public image. Whereas Hamilton, one of the lesser-known founding fathers before the musical, has become all the rage, his counterparts Jefferson and Burr have seen their popularity decline. Hamilton, a classical conservatist, is now popularly thought to have been a liberal, and a champion of the common man.

In reality, it is difficult, or perhaps impossible, to place Hamilton on the current political spectrum. In general, Hamilton’s political views tended to match the modern progressive movement’s, but only in terms of the means. When it comes to the ends that Hamilton sought, modern progressives would struggle to recognize him. Hamilton’s economy was designed to create a clear upper and lower class, with limited mobility. Overall, though Hamilton, the musical theater character, clearly has progressive aims, Hamilton, the Founding Father, was undeniably a classical conservative.

7. A commentary on politics and the performing art

Performing art as a mode of political activism is not a new concept. Hamilton, however, differs from past movements in that the musical itself was not meant to be a commentary on the existing political scenario nor was it born out of protest. However, given that the subject of the art itself was a man so engrossed in politics, it is hardly surprising that the musical itself has had political connotations.

While the show’s multiracial casting and constant reminder that Hamilton was an immigrant may carry an implicit liberal message, Miranda said he had taken care not to write a partisan show. “It’s not angels versus devils,” he said. “If there’s any political takeaway, it’s that the founding fathers were incredibly human”[26].

However, while the content of the show may be impartial, the show and its creators have repeatedly taken sides in present politics and have invoked Alexander Hamilton’s name in their favour, perhaps driving fans of the artwork to take the artist’s side in the political sphere.

8. Conclusion

Hamilton has a had a profound impact on the American populace and was hailed as symbolic of the inclusivity that many believe is central to the idea of the United States of America. It instilled a sense of nationalistic pride in the minority classes.

Although the titular character in the musical and the man it was based on differ in certain beliefs, it can be attributed to the need of a protagonist to be exemplary. Lin-Manuel Miranda merely wanted to tell a story, one that he and every other immigrant could relate or look up to.

Hamilton is a fantastic work of art. Rarely does art tell so many stories, or show new possibilities, or change perceptions so well. The musical is great, but trying to fit it into the political realm clouds that greatness. That effort also stretches the musical beyond what it was intended to be: entertainment.

9. References

  1. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), pp 16-17. Accessed on Sep 4, 2019.
  2. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), pp 27-28. Accessed on Sep 4, 2019.
  3. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), p 8. Accessed on Sep 4, 2019.
  4. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), p 24. Accessed on Sep 4, 2019.
  5. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), p 26. Accessed on Sep 4, 2019.
  6. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), p 25. Accessed on Sep 4, 2019.
  7. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), p 248. Accessed on Sep 9, 2019.
  8. Walsh, Michael. A Modern Perspective on Hamilton and Jefferson. 2017. Honors Research Projects. 563. Accessed on Sep 10, 2019.
  9. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (New York :Penguin Books, 2005), p 3. Accessed on Sep 9, 2019.
  10. Federici, Michael P. The political philosophy of Alexander Hamilton (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012), pp 15, 163-164. Accessed on Sep 20, 2019..
  11. Harper, John Lamberton. American Machiavelli: Alexander Hamilton and the origins of U.S. foreign policy (Cambridge [UK]: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p 39. Accessed on Sep 20, 2019.
  12. Miranda, Lin-Manuel, Jeremy McCarter, and Mariska Hargitay. Hamilton: the revolution (New York, NY : Grand Central Publishing, 2016), p 17. Accessed on Sep 22, 2019.
  13. Miranda, Lin-Manuel, Jeremy McCarter, and Mariska Hargitay. Hamilton: the revolution (New York, NY : Grand Central Publishing, 2016), p 14. Accessed on Sep 22, 2019.
  14. Marshall, Alex. Barack Obama Joins Lin-Manuel Miranda on a ‘Hamilton’ Remix (The New York Times, Dec 21, 2018). Accessed on Sep 24, 2019.
  15. Viagas, Robert. Hillary Clinton Quotes Hamilton in DNC Acceptance Speech (Playbill, Jul 29, 2016). Accessed on Sep 24, 2019.
  16. Geidner, Chris. Obama And Democrats Fundraise At A Performance Of “Hamilton” (BuzzFeed News, Nov 3, 2015). Accessed on Sep 24, 2019.
  17. Bradner, Eric. Pence: ‘I wasn’t offended’ by message of ‘Hamilton’ cast (CNN, Nov 20, 2016). Accessed on Sep 30, 2019.
  18. Isenberg, Nancy. Liberals love Alexander Hamilton. But Aaron Burr was a real progressive hero. (The Washington Post, Mar 30, 2016). Accessed on Sep 30, 2019.
  19. Berman, Russell. Is the Democratic Party Abandoning Jefferson and Jackson? (The Atlantic, Jul 28, 2015). Accessed on Sep 30, 2019.
  20. Berman, Russell. Saving Hamilton (The Atlantic, Jun 24, 2015). Accessed on Sep 30, 2019.
  21. Mead, Rebecca. The Renewed Relevance of “Hamilton” (The New Yorker, Nov 21, 2016). Accessed on Sep 30, 2019.
  22. Miranda, Lin-Manuel, Jeremy McCarter, and Mariska Hargitay. Hamilton: the revolution (New York, NY : Grand Central Publishing, 2016), p 33. Accessed on Oct 2, 2019.
  23. Chan, Michael D. Alexander Hamilton on Slavery (The Review of Politics 66, no. 2 (2004)), pp 207–31. Accessed on Oct 7, 2019.
  24. Frank, Jason and Kramnick, Isaac. What ‘Hamilton’ forgets about Hamilton (The New York Times, Jun 10, 2016). Accessed on Oct 15, 2019.
  25. Yglesias, Matthew. How Lin-Manuel Miranda taught liberals to love Alexander Hamilton (Vox, Apr 20, 2016). Accessed on Oct 15, 2019.
  26. Schuessler, Jennifer. ‘Hamilton’ Puts Politics Onstage and Politicians in Attendance (The New York Times, Mar 27, 2015). Accessed on Oct 15, 2019.

Footnotes

  1. The exact year of his birth is a cause of bedevilment for biographers. For a long time, historians accepted 1757, the year used by Hamilton himself. Yet several compelling pieces of evidence from his Caribbean period have caused many recent historians to opt for 1755[1]. ↩

  2. Some historians also believe that he was the illegitimate son of Edward Stevens, the merchant who took him in after his relatives’ deaths[2]. ↩

  3. The Federalist Papers ran to eighty-five essays, with fifty-one attributed to Hamilton, twenty-nine to James Madison, and five to John Jay[7]. Some of Madison’s essays were split with Hamilton, and it is possible that Hamilton could have written as many as sixty-five of the eighty-five essays[8]. ↩

  4. In 2018, Obama sang a part in One Last Time (44 Remix), a reworking of a song from the musical[14]. ↩

  5. She also quoted lines from the musical in her Democratic National Committee acceptance speech in 2016[15]. ↩

  6. Laurens is also depicted in the musical as Hamilton’s closest friend and as an avid pro-abolitionist. ↩

  7. Whether Hamilton can be called an “immigrant” has been a matter of debate. He was, after all, just a white man who moved from one British colony to another. ↩

  8. In the New York Assembly at the time, Burr gave an eloquent speech defending the liberal promise of the young republic. “America stood with open arms and presented an asylum to the oppressed of every nation,” he said. “Shall we deprive these persons of an important right derived from so sacred a source as our Constitution?”[18]. ↩

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