HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE MUSICAL
Using a soundtrack of popular American music and one of the most innovative librettos ever written, "Hamilton" fuses American history with contemporary politics. It is a consummate art and an ecumenical phenomenon with a timely impact on America in cultural and edifying terms. The result is that almost every song works as a complex historical concert in the show, layering the musical history with the musical present, much as the historical past is combined with the political present. Through the music and ingenious storytelling, Lin-Manuel Miranda shows the younger and modern generation how American History can be interesting and fun, communicating in a different way than that of a boring textbook.
Hamilton has been an integral part of American life and is well-known for its ethnic diversity and eccentric fusion of Broadway with rap and hip-hop. With a modern twist, it tells a historical tale about the American Revolution, emboldening the younger audience to take pleasure in optically canvassing and heedfully aurally perceiving the music. This musical is highly propitious to contemporary American society in the sense that it raises cognizance of gregarious quandaries, promotes debates about the history of our country, and ineluctably enhances our perpetual endeavor to reinterpret our past and find a coalescing national identity. In an oeuvre so ingenious, Miranda inculcates viewers about a consequential piece of American history through rap and hip-hop, so it would be genius even if there were no message behind it. He utilizes what the generation is intrigued with or appealed to, and exploits it to his advantage through catchy musical compositions that portray the story of the musical. The musical has a modern twist to it since the rhythms engendered within the musical is not only facile on the auditory perceivers but also heartwarming, bittersweet, and catchy; while also having a mixed cast of actors which helps promote the sense that we are all equal and fight against racism, usually perceived as a modern issue. |
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON
Alexander Hamilton, born into obscurity in the British West Indies, built his name during the Revolutionary War and became one of the most prominent Founding Fathers of America. He was a passionate advocate of a strong federal government, and played a vital role in the United States' defense and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
The father of Hamilton was James Hamilton, a drifting merchant and son the Laird of Cambuskeith in Ayrshire, Scotland; his mother was Rachel Fawcett Lavine, daughter of a French Huguenot physician and wife of a German or Danish merchant, John Michael Lavine, who settled in the Danish West Indies on the island of St. Croix. In 1765, his family was forsook by James Hamilton. Destitute, Rachel founded a minuscule market, where Alexander went to work at the age of 11, becoming a clerk in the counting house of two Incipient York merchants who had recently settled in St. Croix. Alexander became a ward of his mother's relatives when his mother died in 1768, and his aptitude, industry, and engaging manners earned him promotion from bookkeeper to manager in 1772. He was then sent by friends to a preparatory school in Elizabethtown, Incipient Jersey, and entered King's College (later Columbia) in Incipient York in the autumn of 1773. Intensely zealous, he became a solemn and promising student, but the brewing revolt against Great Britain disrupted his studies. He entered the war with soldiers like John Laurens, Lafayette, and Hercules Mulligan, who soon became his friends. He then fought for a broader and more concrete constitution and offered his input into how to shape the incipient regime, making major decisions for our country and it's progression.
He was alive during a time of war, where he was bound to participate if he wanted to make a name for himself, which he did. He was also alive during a time of reform and experimentation with the government. Since there were many advancements of both intellectual thought and beliefs during this time, people wanted to rebel against the tranny of the British, and gain their independent freedom. Hamilton, being part of this revolutionary movement, was formed into the highly astute founding father that we know today, due to how society shaped him. This characteristic is also portrayed in the musical.
The father of Hamilton was James Hamilton, a drifting merchant and son the Laird of Cambuskeith in Ayrshire, Scotland; his mother was Rachel Fawcett Lavine, daughter of a French Huguenot physician and wife of a German or Danish merchant, John Michael Lavine, who settled in the Danish West Indies on the island of St. Croix. In 1765, his family was forsook by James Hamilton. Destitute, Rachel founded a minuscule market, where Alexander went to work at the age of 11, becoming a clerk in the counting house of two Incipient York merchants who had recently settled in St. Croix. Alexander became a ward of his mother's relatives when his mother died in 1768, and his aptitude, industry, and engaging manners earned him promotion from bookkeeper to manager in 1772. He was then sent by friends to a preparatory school in Elizabethtown, Incipient Jersey, and entered King's College (later Columbia) in Incipient York in the autumn of 1773. Intensely zealous, he became a solemn and promising student, but the brewing revolt against Great Britain disrupted his studies. He entered the war with soldiers like John Laurens, Lafayette, and Hercules Mulligan, who soon became his friends. He then fought for a broader and more concrete constitution and offered his input into how to shape the incipient regime, making major decisions for our country and it's progression.
He was alive during a time of war, where he was bound to participate if he wanted to make a name for himself, which he did. He was also alive during a time of reform and experimentation with the government. Since there were many advancements of both intellectual thought and beliefs during this time, people wanted to rebel against the tranny of the British, and gain their independent freedom. Hamilton, being part of this revolutionary movement, was formed into the highly astute founding father that we know today, due to how society shaped him. This characteristic is also portrayed in the musical.