Hamilton: The Revolution

1751 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The origin and history of rap music

HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION
AND THE HISTORICAL IMPACT OF HAMILTON

BY: Hayden Osborne, 7th Period

Hamilton: The Revolution is a nonfiction book about the conception and creation of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama winning Broadway musical, Hamilton, as well as the musical’s full annotated libretto . The book was published in April 2016 by Grand Central Publishing, and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. The first half of the book discusses how Miranda developed the idea for the musical, as well as the steps to and process he took in writing it, while the second half discusses the musical’s Workshop, Off-Broadway , and Broadway runs. Due to the length of the chapters and the book, I will only be focusing on Chapter I- Chapter …show more content…

Hamilton has created quite a stir in both the musical theatre fan base, and contemporary popular culture. It is a unique musical in three ways, which I will discuss here. First, Hamilton is a musical with a plot based during the American Revolution. Most historical musicals only go back decades, while this one goes back hundreds of years. Personally, Hamilton initiated a deep love of our country’s history. I was never interested in any type of history, but, after listening to Hamilton, I became infatuated with our country’s formation and those who did the forming, particularly Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, The Fourth President James Madison, and our First Commander In Chief, George Washington. Secondly, Hamilton is a rap musical. When someone mentions musical theatre, most people automatic imagine kick lines, tap dancing, and flashy costumes. Hamilton does not feature any of these. All of the music you hear in the musical is rap, or has a very modern feel to it. This is very uncommon for musicals, and it isn't seen very often. This makes the show unique, and it is one of the reasons why it is loved so very much by a large group of people. Finally, Hamilton is entirely sung through. If you're looking for witty dialogue, you won't find any in Hamilton. Everything in the musical is sung or rapped, making it more of a rap opera than a musical, which is another reason why Hamilton is so

Show More
Related

  • Alexander Hamilton: 7 Fun Facts Of Alexander Hamilton

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    You may of heard about the musical Hamilton, witch is about the great founding father Alexander Hamilton. Do you know all the other facts about his life? Here are some of his biggest facts.

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton: Triumph and Tragedies

    3968 Words  | 8 Pages

    To die a tragic death by the hand of another man- to carve ones way through destiny and shape one's future from the humblest of beginnings- to forge a legacy by a medium only those heralded as our countries "Forefathers" have per chanced to meddle with- these are the makings and the foundations for which great men and the dreams of our country rely upon.

    Read More

  • Hamilton And The Economy

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    Your name Your teacher Date Hamilton and the Economy       Since the birth of the country, there have been many influences on its development. The economy in particular is an area of great importance. Many people have been factors in the growth of the United States’ economy. Perhaps the earliest and most influential of these was Alexander Hamilton. As shown in his effective policies, such as assumption of Revolutionary War debts, practical taxation, formation of the National Bank, and views on manufacturing, Hamilton was a dominant force from the beginning.

    Read More

  • What Is Alexander Hamilton's Legacy

    2128 Words  | 5 Pages

    After his death, Hamilton’s legacy was mainly carried on by his wife, Eliza, who dedicated her life to preserving his legacy and making sure that he was not forgotten while she was alive. After Alexander’s death, Eliza told his story through doing things such as helping raise money for his mentor and friend, George Washington’s, memorial, and founding the first private orphanage in New York City which paid respect to her late husband who was an orphan. She also made Hamilton’s life and letters accessible, so that Alexander’s history would be easier to trace back to. She also spoke out about issues that Hamilton felt strongly about, such as slavery. Eliza made it her life goal to continue Hamilton’s legacy onto generations to come, which, indeed it has. Since Alexander’s death, his life has been documented through several biographies, most popularly, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow which inspired the Grammy and Tony award winning Broadway show, Hamilton: An American Musical. Since Hamilton first came to Broadway, Alexander and Eliza Hamilton have been given the recognition that they had not been given, but rightfully deserve.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Founding Brother By Joseph J. Ellis

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    This book may be aimed towards the audience of adults, but I hope that soon teenagers will soon become interested in History. I have alway been a huge fan of American History, but I do not like to read. This book though I do want to read, because of the amazing explanations of “The Duel.” Ever since this broadway show Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda I have wanted to learn more about the life of Alexander Hamilton,. Whenever I find a book that describes Hamilton’s life I want to read it, and i'm glad I read Founding Brothers. Within this book Ellis uses many quotes from Hamilton and Burr which is personally one of my favorite parts. The quotes of Hamilton is one of my favorite parts of the book because of Hamilton's amazing skills with a paper and pen. Another element of the book I enjoyed is the still problematic conclusion of Hamilton's death. In “The Duel” there were two shots fired, one by Hamilton and one by Burr. There are two hypothesis’ shared in the book on who shot first. This is important to me because the author was not biased and did not only include one option, I feel like in doing this they gave the reader a choice of which conclusion they want. Joseph J. Ellis did not only stay unbiased he also included some fun and interesting little tidbits throughout the story. When I say this I mean when he described the connection between the weapons used in “The Duel.”

    Read More

  • The Shortcomings Of Alexander Hamilton

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?” Lin-Manuel Miranda raps at the beginning of his hit musical, Hamilton. This sentence truly epitomizes the ideal that governed Alexander Hamilton’s life; that is to say that he was always a weighty advocate for the things in which he believed. His accomplishments range from orchestrating the Bank of New York to being a delegate for the Continental Congress, proving him to be a well rounded Founding Father. Nonetheless many would like to discredit Hamilton because he, like all human beings, had significant flaws; he had an affair, he had trouble keeping his head, and many other countless flaws. However, does not every human being have a multitude of shortcomings? From the perspective of

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton and the Formation of American Government

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the United States during the late 18th century, the American Colonies were struggling with their identity. The Revolutionary War had won Americans their collective freedom, but the best way to exercise it was the subject of much debate. One American, Alexander Hamilton, felt a need for a common, strong economic and political base for the states. This ideology stemmed from both his boyhood on the Island of St. Croix, and trying events during the Revolutionary War- influences that would later be instrumental in his publishing of the Federalist Papers.

    Read More

  • What Is The Theme Of The Debt In Hamilton's Blessing

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    The national debt is usually a frightening topic citizens of any country, however, in the United States, twenty trillion dollars of national debt is one of the major fears of the economy. Along with this fear comes every politician claiming to be the person to lower this astronomical debt to ease concerns in the modern American economy. In Hamilton’s Blessing, John Steele Gordon tries to alleviate these concerns by showing a plethora of benefits and good the debt has been able to do throughout the history of the United States. The central premise of the book and the main guideline for John Steele Gordon’s thinking is that the debt was used to save the Union in the 1860’s, the American economy in the 1930’s, and the wellbeing of mankind during

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

    3143 Words  | 7 Pages

    Ostlere, Hilary. “Taming The Musical.” Dance Magazine 73.12 (1999): 84. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College Library, MA. 15 April 2005.

    Read More

  • West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘West Side Story’ is a classic American musical based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The through-composed score and lyrics are used to portray different characters and their cultures, the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks, and the emotions felt as the story progresses. This essay will be exploring the music and how effective the score is in realising the world and characters of the musical. Furthermore, it will discuss how Bernstein and Sondheim relate characters’ diverse ethnicities to particular musical ideas and motifs.

    Read More

  • Bruce Vilanch's A Sign Of The Times

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    After the great success of Hamilton it seems the era of musicals has swarmed back again. Right from the performance to the music and even the costumes everything was fantastic. Well here you can expect a new one which is surely speculated to be as good as Hamilton because guess what who has just announced his cast for his new musical. That’s right Bruce Vilanch has finally broken his silence and revealed the casting for his new musical - A Sign of the Times.

    Read More

  • The Revolution of 1800

    1680 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson succeeded in defeating the incumbent, John Adams, and assumed the presidency. In terms of elections though, the election of 1800 itself was a fascinating election in that it a heavily-contested election and was effectively the first time political parties ran smear campaigns against each other during an election. The Republican Party attacked the Federalists for being anti-liberty and monarchist and tried to persuade the public that the Federalists were abusing their power through acts such as the Alien & Sedition Acts and the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion (Tindall and Shi 315). The Federalists, on the other hand, attacked Jefferson for his atheism and support of the French Revolution and warned that his election would result in chaos (316). By the end of the presidential election, neither Adams nor Jefferson emerged with his reputation completely intact. Still, rather than an election between Adams and Jefferson, the election of 1800 ultimately boiled down to a deadlock between Jefferson and his vice presidential candidate, Aaron Burr, who each held seventy-three electoral votes, resulting in the election was sent to the House of Representatives. In the end, the deadlock was resolved only by Alexander Hamilton, whose immense hate for Burr allowed Jefferson to claim the presidency. However, the election of 1800 was more than just a simple presidential election. The election of 1800 was the first peaceful transfer of power from the incumbent party to the opposition and represented a new step in politics, as well as a new direction in foreign policy that would emerge from Jefferson’s policies, and to this extent, the election of 1800 was a revolution.

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton Thesis

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion Alexander hamilton greatly affected american battles, part of the economy and the documents that hold our country together. Without Hamilton George Washington may have never become president and helped out our country. So I think the most basic thing you do in life change so much in the world and hamilton did a good job in his life to make america a better for everyone by working hard and not giving

    Read More

  • Alexander Hamilton: Stay Alive

    454 Words  | 1 Pages

    I thought hamilton was an incredible play! I loved the cast, the set, and most of all, the expression and the story.

    Read More

  • Musical Theatre Essay

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 2000s/ 2010s brought in a wave of movie musicals- adapted from the stage shows. These brought new audiences into the theatre world, and for the first time in 20 years, brought a love to some of the timeless musicals. With slightly altered songs to appeal to a newer audience, these films brought in much needed money into the industry, with films including: Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Fame- and many more. Together with this, musicals began to push the concept of the songs in them, with a wave of new styles being written. Rap musicals such as ‘Hamilton’ and ‘In The Heights’, Pop musicals including ‘Waitress’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and Rock musicals of ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Spring Awakening’. Together they pushed boundaries of a ‘traditional’ musical theatre sound, and brought in something never before seen. Due to the influence of ‘Rent’, controversial issues and themes began to be explored more, such as Teen suicide, Murder, Ethnic barriers and everything else, which brought with them, a world of opportunities. It was clear that musical theatre was once again showing for a promising

    Read More

More about Hamilton: The Revolution

Open Document