Representation
In Hamilton how does representation challenge accuracy?
Representation of minorities during this era may ignore the facts. In hamilton nearly all traditionally white characters were played by people of colour. At this point in time a person of color would not be treated the same as a non person of color. This begs the question of if representing people takes away form the fact that the founding fathers were not people of color. I believe that hamilton, whilst promoting representation does indeed stray from the political facts of what happened.
In Hamilton there is an idea that you have no control who tells your story. Do you think the characters in hamilton had choice in who told their story?
Lin manuel Miranda created Hamilton in 2016. This means that he was not alive during the american civil war. Which means all information about Hamilton was from a secondary source. Lin manuel miranda and broadway are now the ones telling their stories. In my opinion most characters do not have a say in who, or how their story is or has been told. However there are actions that people can take to ensure parts of themselves and their story are not told. Eliza says "They don't get to know what I said to you," (Burn, 2:18) as she burns the letters between herself and her husband. This shows that she does have control over her life. By burning the letters she is actively " Erasing herself from the narrative" (Burn, 1:15) This is why I don't think that we can choose who tells our story but we can change parts of the perception of our story.
Name three ways that hamilton involves correct facts into the musical, and name three ways "hamilton changes the game."
Some examples could be:
1.Hamilton changes the game by thinking quiqly. Hamilton is always very quick, and on his feet. Which results in little time wasted as well as a parallel between washington, and burr.
2. Hamiltons ambition and drive for change sets him apart. In the song Non stop the lyric " Yo, That man is non stop" (Non stop, 0:50) refers to hamilton's actions when writing. Hamilton did not take breaks, nor did he let anyone help him. proving that his ambitions and want fior change is his driving force.
3. Hamilton from a young age had to show Resilience. When he was just ten years old his mother died and his father left. At age ten he had to learn how to fend for himself well dealing with grief. When hamilton was ignored by washington he kept asking, and proving himself until he became the right hand man. Hamilton took no breaks when writing the american constitution which shows how resilient he had to be.
Do Hamiltons characters promote equality? Or does Hamilton wrongly identify a Hierarchy?
I believe that Hamilton correctly influences the viewer in the examples of Hamilton's interactions. In Hamilton burr says " Talk less, smile more"(Aaron burr, 0:40) Which essentially is telling Hamilton to stay silent and wait for things to fall into place. In this song Burr is a mentor to hamilton. Burr wants to tell Hamilton the things he has learned along the way such as " Don't let them know what your against or what your for."(Aaron Burr, 0:46) Burr is older than Hamilton and "Smarter" because of his prodicial practices in college. Burr is more classically trained and a much more socially aware individual. This hierarchy between Hamilton and Burr is a perfect example of an interaction Hamilton could have had.
In Hamilton what choices created representation of minorities?
The choice to use actors of color brought controversy as well as acceptance for representation. It is important for people to see themselves in media. Without recognition humans start to doubt their place in this world. Which is why Hamilton having a cast of traditionally marginalized people it creates representation. For a young child of color to get to look at the stage filled with remarkable people of color it sets the tone that they can dream big. The choice of having a cast of color created representation within the show that allowed a deeper connection to the shows characters.
Hamilton is used to teach portions of american history in high schools in the USA. Do you think Hamilton is a good resource for students in high school?
In my opinion hamilton is a good resource to use in schools. Lin Manuel Miranda made Hamilton as historically accurate as possible. Which means Hamilton is a good, reliable source for information. When I first watched Hamilton it made me exited to learn all these facts about the american revolution and I became very knowledgable. This resource is very different then a lecture from a teacher or a textbook and most kids don't respond well to learning like that. Hamilton offers a new impactful way to learn with a built in tool for memorization. The catchy songs make hamilton dates easy to remember which means students are actually absorbing the content making the unit more meaningful. Hamilton tells the story of an immigrant who overcame a lot to get where he ended up. These teaches students to be resilient and to dream big. Because of this Hamilton is, in my opinion, a good resorce to use in schools.
Does Hamilton accurately represent the voices of those in history?
I do not believe that Hamilton accurately shows what voices were present. In the musical Gorge washington who was the most important leader/ person to the American revolution only had a total stage time of 14 minutes! This leads me to believe that Hamiltons accuracy and who tells the story is a big theme not only inside the musical but when critiquing it. This is why I believe that the choices in Hamilton were not always directed towards accuracy of history.
Does hamilton Romanticize moments of importance?
"I felt an enormous responsibility to be as historically accurate as possible, while still ensuring I was telling the most dramatic story." (Lin, world treasures, date accessed 2026) What I take away from this is that he was doing his research and had gathered a large amount of information that was as accurate as he could find. However, in order to make the story watchable they did have to romanticize important moments to tell " A dramatic story" The fact that Angelica stepped aside so that her sister could have Hamilton never happened. Angelica was already married to a british soldier long before meeting Hamilton meaning that she could not wed him.(Paul combs, 2021) This is why I believe that Hamilton does romanticize moments of importance.
In Hamilton who's voices are missing?
Some examples of voices who are missing may be: Female's, poor females, working females, Indigenous females, Indigenous males, enslaved individuals. These are some of the main voices missing in this musical.
What is the most impactful song in Hamilton?
I think Wait for it is the most impactful song in Hamilton. Wait for it creates a new perspective of taking life slow and if something is worth having, you should be willing to wait for it. Wait for it teaches the audience of Burrs perspective of his life. He has risen through the ranks for his parents and he methodically thinks out his every move. This song takes us through his journey of wondering if he is doing it right with lyrics like " Hamilton doesn't hesitate"(Wait for it, 2:41) and " He changes the game" (2:57) Burr starts to wonder if he should wait around for the thing he loves most. Burr goes through so many emotions and impactful oideas. This is why I think Wait for it is the most impactful song in hamilton.
Do the songs in hamilton connect to problems of today?
I believe that the songs of hamilton are very prominent in today's society. Songs like "My Shot" have deeper meanings then just military. My shot represents someone who does not have a lot of power who sees a chance at a better future and will not throw his chance away. This reminds me of someone finding an amazing job interview and they practice and prepare because they won't let this opportunity slip away. "I am not throwing away my shot" (My shot, 0:26) Is very impactful because of its connections and meaning. That is why I believe that Hamilton's songs do connect to the real world today.
Does the compliance of others interfere with Hamilton Having to prove himself?
I believe that Compliance had no effect on Hamilton's feelings of proving himself. I believe that no matter what Hamilton would have feelings of needing to be heard regardless of wether or not he was peer pressured. " That man is non stop"(Non stop, 0:40) Relates to how Hamilton began to climb the ranks because of his pursuit of his own ambition.
Why and how does hamilton challenge new perspectives?
Hamilton challenges new perspectives during songs like the Reynolds pamphlet, and Burn. The Reynolds pamphlet shows the story of how gossip spreads after Hamiltons affair. It shows pieces of Angelicas story "God, I hope you're satisfied" Angelica sings. Angelica knows how this will affect her family and Eliza after the news. She tells Hamilton that she hopes he's satisfied because his marriage has ended. We get to understand Hamilton's perspective of "Lord, show me how to say no to this" (Say no to this, 1:35) We also learn that mariah Reynolds had started the affair with hamilton to damage his reputation so her husband could raise through the ranks. hamilton challenged my perspectives because moraly cheating is wrong but Hamilton has shown me new perspectives on why people might do this. Eliza has a huge role to play that challenged the way my mind thought of the situation. Eliza says "They don’t get to know what I said," (Burn, 1:55) Meaning that all the letters hamilton wrote about how much he loved her don't get to be seen by anyone else. They don't get to know that he once loved me. Eliza feels this way because Hamilton cheated on her and she is deeply hurt by this fact. This is why I believe that Hamilton challenges, and enforces new perspectives to arise.
Name an example of a glorified moment in The musical Hamilton.
Something that Hamilton glossed over was the hurricane of 1772. Hamilton states " Then the hurricane came, and devistasion rang." (Alexander Hamilton, 0:49) This is one of three short, vague lyrics about this hurricane. The west indies hurricane was devastating and a real turning point for the real Alexander Hamilton. The real Hamilton wrote about how the only thing he could do in the moments following the hurricane were to wright his way out. Hamilton later published a script about his, and his town's struggles surrounding the hurricane. The town was so moved be his writing that they fundraised to send him to the main land. This impactful part of Hamiltons life was glossed over in the lyric: "Took a whole collection just to send him to the main land." (Alexander Hamilton, 1:07) In the musical who tells your story is a big theme. In this case Lin manuel miranda was the one to tell hamilton's story. however he glossed over, romanticized, and glorified major moments that occurred during Hamilton's lifetime.
Does Hamilton shed light on societal issues of the 18th century?
I believe that hamilton does not correctly represent societal issues during this time. Women could not vote which was a large issue that sent ripples through society and was not touched on during the film. Women not having the right to vote should have been spoken of because of the Schuyler sisters. The right to vote would have affected all of the sisters and how they move about the world. Hamilton cared deeply about the Schuyler sisters in the film however this was not true in real life. Hamilton did not care about things like ending slavery, the Schuyler sisters, and women's rights.(Worldpress, date accessed 2026)
What effect does the lyric "History has its eyes on you" have on Hamilton?
History has its eyes on you creates feelings of importance which in turn effects how Hamilton interacts. History has its eyes on you embodies what I imagine Hamilton feeling whilst he writes America's constitution. I believe that Hamilton felt immense pressure to rise to the top and Wright himself and others out.