Who was Alexander Hamilton and what’s the musical about?
THE film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" has taken the nation by storm.
The hit movie, now available on streaming platform Disney+, explores the life of one of the US' seven "founding fathers".
Who was Alexander Hamilton?
Alexander Hamilton rose to political prominence during the American Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783), fighting alongside George Washington to free America from British colonisation.
When Washington became the first President of the United States of America in April 1789, he appointed Hamilton as the USA’s first Secretary of the Treasury.
Hamilton used this position to create America’s first national banking system in 1791.
Hamilton was also a strong advocate of the US constitution and played a key role in promoting it to the newly-freed American people before it was ratified in December 1787.
Outside of politics, Alexander Hamilton founded the United States Coast Guard and also the New York Post newspaper.
What’s the musical Hamilton about?
The stage show Hamilton, debuted on Broadway at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre in August 2015 and detailed Alexander Hamilton’s rise to political prominence.
It tells Alexander Hamilton’s story from when he first left his hometown on the Caribbean island of Nevis to go to New York in October 1772.
Hamilton, written for the stage by Lin-Manuel Miranda, sees Alexander Hamilton befriending a revolutionary ‘band of brothers’ made up of John Laurens, Marquis de Lafayette, and Hercules Mulligan.
They wanted to abolish slavery and bring an end to British rule over America.
It also tells the tale of how Alexander Hamilton meets his wife, Eliza Schuyler, and his relationship with her and her wealthy family.
The play also chronicles years of growing tension between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, a political foe.
The first act of the show sees America fighting for freedom from British colonisation and finally winning the American Revolutionary War.
The second act of the show sees political tensions and rivalries grow as the newly-freed America comes to terms with its new independence.
But two opposing political parties emerge – with dire consequences.
What was Burr and Hamilton’s duel about?
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had long been political rivals.
Hamilton’s mistrust of Burr began to grow from 1791, when Burr won a seat on the U.S Senate , defeating Hamilton’s father-in-law, Philip Schuyler.
Hamilton then tried to thwart Burr’s political aspirations on several occasions - most notably in the presidential elections of 1800 and 1804, when Burr twice tried to run for President.
Both times, Hamilton used his political influence with the Federalist Party to block Burr, causing him to lose.
The Burr-Hamilton Duel eventually came about when, in April 1804, Burr challenged Hamilton over a letter published in a newspaper by Democratic-Republican politician Dr Charles D Cooper.
He claimed Hamilton had referred to Burr at a dinner party as “a dangerous man”.
A series of letters then followed between Hamilton and Burr. In the letters Burr eventually challenged Hamilton to the fateful duel that cost Hamilton his life.
The pair met on the morning of July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey.
There is no definitive account of the duel, but it is widely accepted that Hamilton shot first and hit a tree.
Burr fired back and hit Hamilton in the abdomen, causing internal injuries that led to his death the following day.
Who was Alexander Hamilton’s wife Eliza and how many children did they have?
Eliza Schuyler, later Eliza Hamilton, was the second-born child of General Philip Schuyler, head of the prosperous and politically powerful Schuyler family.
The Schuylers were one of the richest families in New York at the time.
She was a well-known socialite owing to the circles she moved in, but is also considered a philanthropist, after she co-founded the first private orphanage in New York City, in 1806.
Eliza lived to age 97, and she and Alexander had eight children:
- Philip (January 1782-November 1801 – killed in a duel aged 19);
- Angelica (September 1784-February 1857);
- Alexander, Jr. (May 1786-August 1875);
- James Alexander (April 1788-September 1878);
- John Church (August 1792-July 1882);
- William Stephen (August 1797-October 1850);
- Eliza (November 1799-October 1859);
- Philip, (June 1802-July 1884 – named after his older brother, who was killed a year before his birth).
Who starred in the original cast?
The original Hamilton Broadway cast starred in the show for 11 months during its opening run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, from August 6, 2015 until July 9, 2016.
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The cast included:
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton. As well as playing him, Miranda also wrote the script, music, and lyrics for the show.
- Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Alexander’s wife of 23 years.
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton’s political foe.
- Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, sister of Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza.
- Christopher Jackson as George Washington, the first US president.
- Jonathan Groff as King George III. George III was the King of England for almost 60 years.
- Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, one of Alexander Hamilton’s ‘band of brothers’, in the first act of the show. He then reappears in Act Two as Thomas Jefferson.
- Okieriete Onadowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison. Onaodowan plays Hercules Mulligan, a tailor’s apprentice and reappers in Act Two as James Madison – an ally of Thomas Jefferson, and fourth President of the United States.
- Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. Ramos plays John Laurens in Act One of the play. He is the last of Alexander Hamilton’s revolutionary allies, who dies fighting for the abolition of slavery.
- Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds. In Act One, Jones plays Peggy Schuyler – Angelica and Eliza’s younger sister, and Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law.
- Sydney Harcourt as Philip Schuyler/James Reynolds. Harcourt appears in Act One as Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law, the father of Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy Schuyler. In Act Two, Harcourt stars as James Reynolds – the husband of Maria Reynolds.