Author: Dr. Shrout

The first time I ever heard of the play “Hamilton” was on the radio. It referred to as this hip-hop version of the story of Alexander Hamilton. Since I am not a fan of hip-hop music I basically disregarded the play. After awhile, I kept hearing how good “Hamilton” was and that is was a Broadway juggernaut that if you sold your first born you still could not tickets. So who was Alexander Hamilton? I agree with my colleague Matt Everett, I knew almost nothing about Alexander Hamilton. After watching Hamilton’s America, I finally who the man really was. He was an American hero, he wrote the Federalist Papers, he and Thomas Jefferson really did not like each other, and he was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. These are all facts that we can get from any history book that focuses on the History of the United States. So what is special about that? What is special about Alexander Hamilton was that he was an immigrant from the Caribbean who rose from obscurity to become one of the founding fathers of the United States. Hamilton grew up on the island of St. Croix in middle of the Atlantic Slave Trade. As my colleague Isaias Ortiz expressed in his post, the European appetite for sugar was made possible by African slave labor. With some prolific writing, Hamilton was able to leave the Caribbean for North America where the history of Alexander Hamilton we all know was made. My first impression of Hamilton was shattered after watching the documentary. Lin-Manuel Miranda and his cast put in a great deal of work into making this show a success. I get the impression that Miranda and his cast needed to know everything historically about the people they were portraying on stage and it comes across in their performances. What impressed me about “Hamilton” was the emotional connection you feel about the historical characters. I do not know if it is the skill of the actors that provides that emotion, but “Hamilton” provides more of connection than some dry factual text. Lastly It seemed to me that Lin-Manuel Miranda and his father Luis were spiritually connected to Alexander Hamilton. Luis Miranda was able to leave his home in the Caribbean to seek a new life in New York just like Hamilton. All three of these men did not squander opportunities and made their lives the best they could be and became famous for what they have done.

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Alexander Hamilton was one of the most important founding father of the United States of America, influential in developing an American economy from scratch. Unfortunately, America’s first treasury secretary’s story is often overlooked, this is the problem that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play “Hamilton” seeks out to solve. I found the story of the play’s development and its content to be very interesting. Through the PBS documentary, “Hamilton’s America,” I could see that the play sought out tell an important tale of American history through contemporary rhythms and themes. By using rap music Lin-Manuel had given “Hamilton” a uniquely modern American identity. The play tells a fascinating story of Hamilton’s rise from improvised immigrant to an iconic and respected founding father. I found it insightful that the play also gives voices to women, people of color, and immigrants showing the different ways each had aided the revolution and the construction of a new government. The sheer popularity and notoriety of the play shows that the story is not only entertaining, but also relevant to present times. I agree with the statement written by Hunter Loya that, “Lin-Manuel Miranda’s portrayal of Hamilton as the ultimate immigrant experience fits within a framework that we don’t often see when we talk about the founding fathers and early revolutionary America.”

Hamilton’s tale is essential in understanding how difficult it was to establish and maintain an American nation during and after the revolutionary war. I thought it was great that the play utilized rap battles to represent historical debates over what political courses the nation should take. By doing this, the play continues to give out important information on American history only through a fun and entertaining manner that makes it relatable to modern culture. Through the documentary we understanding that the founding fathers were not completely wholesome saints, but instead flawed people who able to accomplish great things. Overall, I found the documentary on “Hamilton” to not only be entertaining, but also thought provoking. Which is, what I believe, the overall goal the play had sought out to gain. Through its success in utilizing contemporary rhythms and song structures to tell a historic tale, the play has accomplished its goal to entertain and inform a new generation of Americans.

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This week’s reading had two main ideas. The first is the influence of European conflicts throughout the rest of the Atlantic World. For example, in the United States, war between the French and British dragged the native Americans and the colonies into the war. In Africa, Europeans waged wars over colonial interests and religious fervor, simultaneously resulting in more African captives that would be enslaved. European conflicts displaced many, creating numerous refugees. Total war between Europeans made conflicts all the more bitter, aided by the creation of new weapons fueled by strong economies built on the backs of slaves. One particularly heinous act committed by multiple Europeans was raiding the colonies’ civilian populations of another European nation alongside and disguised as natives. Another significant impact of European conflicts was the power it gave to native populations, which could negotiate with Europeans in their favor, as the Europeans were careful to keep natives as allies or at least neutral. Another key point of this reading was reforms made by Europeans at home. Such reforms influenced government, religion, education, and the economy, driven by Enlightenment thought. Such reforms affected the Atlantic beyond Europe. For example, some of England’s tax reforms upset its colonies, contributing to the American Revolution. Along with many reforms came resistance, often from colonies, spurred on by neglect from the European nations, higher taxes to pay for wars, and even Enlightenment ideas. Between the conflict between European powers, reforms, and resistance and rebellions, I would argue that European conflicts had the most significant impact on the Atlantic. This seems to be the point that the author takes the most time to argue as well.

The second chapter of this reading highlights the importance of the American Revolution as the first big breakaway from an imperial power in the Atlantic. The American Revolution was made possible by the events of the Seven Years War. Leading up to the Revolution, cultural distinctions between the British and colonists deepened. The threat of the French was removed. Debt from the war caused higher taxes. All of these set the stage for the American Revolution. The colonies owed their success in part to the French, persuaded by Benjamin Franklin, to join the war. While the French foresaw war with the British in the near future, they determined in would be best to take advantage of the British while they were preoccupied with its rebellious colonies. Following the American Revolution, the British dominance of the Atlantic was limited, having lost its colonies. The American Revolution provided a degree of inspiration for people in other colonies, even in Europe as demonstrated by the French Revolution. I certainly agree with the author, the American Revolution drastically changed the Atlantic World, shifting power and giving hope to revolutions across the Atlantic.

Classmate Matthew Liivoja points out the relation of this reading to the Columbian exchange. Competition and conflict amongst European powers with each other and natives is certainly a theme presented in both of these chapters.

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hamilton

Gutierrez, Christian

Dr. Shrout

Hist 410

30th of October, 2016

Hamilton

First off, I am incredibly old fashion, without a doubt. That being said sitting down and watching the making of Hamilton was nothing short of difficult, luckily, of everyone portrayed in U.S.D currency Hamilton is one of my favorite just falling short of Andrew Jackson. Which is ironic because Andrew is the polar opposite of Alexander, Alexander Hamilton was the first secretary of treasury and the creator of the central bank of the United States, the bank of course being Andrew’s main enemy. Hamilton was a social elite and the “patron Saint of Wall St.” While Andrew was against the social elite a true Democrat who would’ve agreed more with Thomas Jefferson, who believed in the small farmer and a small government.

However, Hamilton was a genius when it came to setting up the United States financial system. He absorbed the national debt, and set the precedent for a capitalistic system which ties in with the previous readings. As my classmate Alec states early Atlantic history set the precedent for the capital system in where people would use capital to buy slaves to earn more capital. Hamilton created the first national debt, and as the saying goes to be a true American you need to have debt something to strive for to pay off to hold a stake in the country.

As horrific as it was to watch (and here the rap battles) the documentary at least provides a means to get through to a different audience. To educate the average American at one of the most crucial founding fathers of the United States. I also disagree with the judging of Washington owning slaves as historians we cannot judge those in the past knowing what we know now, to them owning slaves was part of the society and to judge them as racist is not correct.

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Hamilton’s America tells the story of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the award wining creator of Hamilton. Not only does the documentary talk about the creation of Hamilton, it also gives insight into the life of Miranda himself. Although I must admit that while I have a personal love for musicals, I prefer more traditional musicals, and I never quite understood Hamilton. After watching this documentary, I am still not especially fond of Hamilton, however, I understand it more and I understand the appreciation it gets.

However, with that being said, the story of Hamilton fits well within the context of this class. Hamilton undoubtedly had a profound impact on the history of the Atlantic, and this documentary gives a unique insight into his life. As others have pointed out, such as Hunter Loya, Miranda felt an especially close connection to Hamilton because of Hamilton’s complex background. Namely, Hamilton’s status as an immigrant himself, and the hardships that he faced, such as being and orphan and having to work even harder due to his immigrant status. Miranda’s focus on Aaron Burr contrasts both Miranda and Hamilton’s lives with Burr’s life. It also helps to solidify his love and admiration for Hamilton, for whom it is obvious he feels a close connection.

Also as Hunter Loya stated in his blog, an important aspect of this documentary in regards to this class is the discussion of slavery. As the documentary noted, slavery was an important aspect of both Miranda’s life and Hamilton’s life. The emphasis on slavery shows how much slavery, especially in the Caribbean, is still ever present today. Although this class does not often discuss the modern day, this documentary really helped to show how ever-present the past and the actions of past figures are, even in the modern day. Likewise, the fact that Miranda felt so compelled to write an entire modern-musical complete with modern music about a historic figure who is often left out of many conversations speaks to the power of past figures and their ability to influence the future.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical “Hamilton” shares the life of Alexander Hamilton through a new perspective on stage. The documentary film “Hamilton’s America” gives insight to why Lin decided to focus on the life of Alexander Hamilton and how he was able to bring his ideas to life.

I had heard of this musical before but it never crossed my mind to actually read up on it or watch it. Before watching this documentary, I had never really known much about Alexander Hamilton besides the fact that he is on our currency and that he started our nation’s financial system. What fascinated me was how someone could start with a humble beginning and make a huge difference in life. The fact that he became an orphan at such a young age is tragic, but through perseverance and his ability to write and understand trade, he was able to go to the North American colonies to receive a better education. I agree with Viktoriya’s post that America was the land of opportunity for Hamilton, and he took full advantage of it. I also enjoyed that Lin brought in Aaron Burr and his interesting relationship with Alexander Hamilton. It is hard to understand why two men would resort to a duel over hard feelings for each other, given the fact that they had numerous chances to apologize, but I suppose it is something we may never truly understand in the 21st century.

This documentary film was full of valuable information and a great insight to Hamilton’s life. The amount of research that went into this musical was truly appreciated and fascinating to learn. Lin-Manuel Miranda did an outstanding job grabbing my interest and it was a creative way to show the American public Hamilton’s contributions for this country. Overall, a great and fun way to understand American history.

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For the longest time I have heard people rave about Hamilton. Not knowing anything about musical theatre I assumed it was some fad that would fade away in two months. After seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s writing process and the amount of heart he puts into his work, its easy to see why so many people are passionate about the show. Hamilton’s America follows LMM through various points of his life while Hamilton was under production. Hamilton’s America shows us the triumphs and hardships that Alexander Hamilton had to face in order to succeed in early America and even before then.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s portrayal of Hamilton as the ultimate immigrant experience fits within a framework that we don’t often see when we talk about the founding fathers and early revolutionary America. Hamilton was an immigrant and Miranda talks about how he was the product of an illegitimate marriage and how his family owned slaves in the Caribbean, and Hamilton was able to immigrate to the United States because of his writing. This reminded me of the reading on the slave trade and sugar, which Diana Tran responded to, which went into the proliferation of slavery and how it was extremely common in these islands. Hamilton’s America showed us a real historical person who lived through these situations and in a way cements the things we’ve read about this semester.

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Since the very beginning of the Columbian Exchange, the Atlantic World has been fueled by the need to expand and conquer new territory. Great Britain, Spain and other European powers eager to cash in on the worlds resources all expanded beyond their borders to build their empires. In order to claim land for themselves, they had to fight against the natives. The Baron of Montesquieu once said, “Empires founded on war are maintained by war (Egerton, 291).” At first, Europeans and natives did have some mutual relationships in places like West Africa and New England, but through imperialism, mercantilism, and culture clash, the English, French, and Dutch conquered a broad swath of the world. Egerton says an empire must “depend on others for trade (Egerton, 302).” He means an empire, unlike an independent nation, can’t rely upon itself for its own survival. For instance, the slave trade, in agreement with Vince’s Post, was a staple in the Atlantic economy and the banknote for European trade.

Speaking of nation, some areas, like the Eastern Seaboard of North America, were fed up with British rule and forged their own nation. Unlike empires, which must expand in order to survive, a nation survives through unity within boundaries based upon common language, religion, and a compelling reason to become an independent entity. The American colonies, however, declared independence from Great Britain based mostly upon “taxation without representation.” The colonists, traitors in Europe’s eyes, refused to pay taxes on stamps, molasses, and tea. So, the American Revolution was a fight to get England`s fingers off their land.

In conclusion, I came to realize that empires are dependent upon others, whereas nations are independent entities built upon strong foundations needed to look after itself like language, religion, economical and political structures. Therefore, a nation has a more inclusive approach to power whereas empires took a more exclusive approach, meaning they want to run it their way and their way only. Imperialism and colonialism had their obvious differences, but were all used to gain land, profit and in some cases like America, its own autonomy.

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So, I feel I need to begin this post by stating my disdain for musicals. Song and dance, in my opinion, are horrible mediums through which to convey a story. That being said, I must admit, “Hamilton’s America” is an entertaining way to portray the amazing exploits of one of the leading founders of this great nation. I found it to be much more historically accurate than I originally thought it would be. Seeing the amount of time spent on research and development and the passion for the actual history made me realize the creator not only wanted to entertain, he wanted to teach and tell the story in a manner that might reach those who wouldn’t ordinarily care about Alexander Hamilton or his accomplishments. I believe he exceeded his own expectations. Bravo Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bravo sir!

Alexander Hamilton is the epitome of what it means to be an American. As Victoriya alluded to in her post, Hamilton was the embodiment of the American dream. His immigrant status and humble upbringing forced him to work hard for everything he had. His hard work obviously paid off as he played an integral role in the creation of our strong nationalized government and central banking system, both of which make America what it is today. The musical does a great job highlighting the intense debates had over the construction of the nation; an intensity sometimes lost in the written word. It also helps Americans understand the passion behind the ideals. Hamilton did not accomplish all that he did solely out of self interest, he actually believed in the meaning behind what he was preaching, actions severely lacking in Washington as of late.

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