"Jammin'" with Alexander Hamilton

     “I’m working on a hip hop album… it’s about the life of somebody who I think embodies hip hop, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.” In 2009, these words rang out from the mouth of a young Puerto Rican American playwright performing at the White House. Six years later, when Alexander Hamilton made its Broadway debut, it would become one of the most successful productions on the live stage. The musical incorporates hip-hop, R&B, and jazz to introduce the life of the youngest Founding Father. Through rap and and pop music, the play follows the ascension of the poor, “bastard orphan,” who after publishing an essay that depicted the carnage of a hurricane in his home town, is invited to New York to further his education. Through a multi-racial cast, the musical highlights the young immigrant’s interaction with some of the most familiar figures in American history—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette—in his rapid rise to power. The entire play is narrated by Vice President Aaron Burr, the man who ultimately kills Hamilton in a duel.

     Yet the production is truly fascinating for the empowering effect it has on readers.  According to biographer Ron Chernow, whose work inspired the development of the musical, Hamilton lived every day from the age of 14 as if the future was uncertain, leading to his incredible work ethic and political ascension. This ambition was also apparent in his political activism; he was responsible for the creation of the first fiscal system, monetary system, customs service, and central bank. Hamilton’s legacy struck an especially powerful note with immigrant Lin-Manuel Miranda, the playwright and title actor of the show. Like Hamilton, Miranda was recognized early in his career, when he performed the first version of “Hamilton Mixtapes” at a White House reception in front of the president and vice-president. There are two lessons that I drew from this unique story.

     First, life is short, so make the most of today while you have the chance. From the moment he stepped onto America’s shores, Hamilton participated actively in national politics, quickly becoming a leader in the Revolutionary War. In high school, Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t think he fit in with the other students at his school and he struggled to compete academically with his classmates. But this struggle only made Miranda more determined to find his passion quickly and focus his efforts in the field that best suited him. After deciding on theater in his high school years, he began to take leading roles in every school performance. Though his family was not wealthy, he purchased as many Broadway albums as he could find and began to memorize them in his free time. All of his efforts converged in college, when far before any of his peers were achieving their dreams, Miranda completed his first musical production, In the Heights, which was turned into a Broadway musical and won the Tony Award in 2008.

     Lin-Manuel Miranda’s merging of modern forms of music with American history has led to a ground-breaking work in which this famous Secretary of the Treasury is seen in the context of American culture and dynamics in the present. This play redirects the eyes of contemporary American audiences to historic figures like Alexander Hamilton. In addition to being on the $10 bill, Hamilton has played a critical role in constructing American society  as we know it today, and we must continue to study and recognize historical figures in order gain a deeper understanding  of the society that surrounds us today. As any viewer of the musical Alexander Hamilton can attest, Miranda’s work has brought new meaning to the age-old idea that “those who do not remember their history, have no future.”