Since January 20th, 2015, Hamilton has been sweeping the nation, inspiring potential viewers to spend upwards of one thousand dollars on a single ticket to see the original cast perform. The show is often credited with re-sparking an interest in Broadway in adults with spending power and younger generations, who may write or perform a hit themselves one day.
For those of you with no interest in musical theater, those who have been living under a rock, and those whose lives fall in the middle of this Venn diagram of ignorance, Hamilton tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton. In his 47 years, Hamilton worked as a chief staff aid to George Washington, influenced and promoted the US Constitution, founded our financial system, founded the Federalist party, founded the Coast Guard, and founded the New York Post. Unlike most founding fathers, he was an orphan who came from a life filled with poverty and squalor. He immigrated from the West Indies to the United States for the same reason that immigrants come today: opportunity. While the story is set in the 18th and 19th century, Lin Manuel-Miranda, the writer and actor who plays Hamilton, is able to make the play valuable, even prophetic, to audiences today.
One of the best things about Hamilton (and there are a lot) is that it shows that figures from history are more than just figures- they're people. People with their own dreams, motivations, and fears. While we may only read about them in textbooks, many of which take away their light and vibrancy, it is important to remember that they are more than just the sum of their decisions- they were once a beating heart. Some were aware that history was watching- some were not. Even when living seemingly insignificant lives, they all helped to write the story of our country.
Now that we've told the story of Alexander Hamilton, we need to find another blank page and write down the stories of other important people who have shaped our lives today. Writers, actors, directors, and producers, I am calling on you to consider telling the story of these people.
1.) Noah Webster
If his name sounds familiar, it's probably because he defined the English language, literally and figuratively. Webster was educated in American schoolrooms until he was tutored by his pastor to learn Latin and Greek before attending Yale College at the age of sixteen.During his time in college, Webster served in the American militia during the Revolutionary War. After he graduated, Webster had essentially no idea what he was going to do. Webster felt that a liberal arts education "disqualifies a man for a business", which most liberal arts majors today heartily agree with.
So Webster did what most grads do today: jump around until your find the right fit. He taught at Glastonbery, then left. He taught at Harvard, then left. He got a law degree, couldn't find employment, so he got a masters degree from Yale. He opened a school in Connecticut, his first successful endeavor, then closed it almost immediately, probably because of a failed romance. The lyrics practically write themselves.
He turned to the arts, writing literary works for a New England newspaper defending the ideas behind the American Revolution. He opened another school in Goshen, NY and created his own books to teach children with. The proceeds from selling them were used to help fund the years he spent writing his dictionary. Webster was a revolutionary, believing that America could be made into a utopia if we were willing to renounce wealth and ostentation. While he frowned upon most kinds of nationalism, he claimed that American nationalism was alright because our values were "superior". Like Hamilton, Webster recognized the value of words in shaping our culture and, like many of us, he had no idea what the "purpose" of his life was. But he knew what he believed in, and when he saw problems, he tried to fix them.
2.) William Henry Harrison
You thought I was going to make all of these easy for you, writers? You were wrong. Enter, William Henry Harrison, most widely known for only being in office for 23 days. He was the first president to die in office. Was he shot? Poisoned? Sabotaged? No. He refused to wear a coat to his inauguration, resulting a cold that would quickly kill him.
Before his death, Harrison was a governor and a war hero, acting as a general in the War of 1812. He ran for president twice, losing initially.
His last words were "Sir, I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more." From Harrison's musical I assume that we can learn the power of untapped potential and also how to dress appropriately for formal events.
3.) Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea
Imagine the duets these two could have. Let Sacagawea join in. Give her baby its own song. I am ready for this.
Considering the fact that Lewis and Clark's expedition allowed many Americans to move Westward, consequently pushing Native American people into reservations, are they the villains in their own stories? Is Thomas Jefferson, considering he sent them? While one of the original objectives was to establish trade with Native American tribes, that went horribly astray. At what point did this happen, and what were the motivations? American greed, white superiority, intolerance? You tell me future playwright!
4.) Margaret Sanger
Sanger was an American birth control activist, writer, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, which would eventually become planned parenthood, and popularized the term birth control.
If you couldn't tell, Sanger was a freaking bad ass. After opening her clinic, she was arrested for giving out information about contraception. Before that, she had to flee the country thanks to the Comstock Act in 1914, which prohibited the circulation of "obscene literature". Once it was safe, she returned from Britain to spread her message.
Sanger made healthier lives for women possible. She wanted to prevent unsafe, illegal "back alley abortions", and create a safe environment where women could learn to take control of their bodies and their sexuality. She started the first clinic with all female doctors, and opened a clininc in Harlem with an entirely African American staff in the 1920s. She died in 1966, now known as the founder of modern birth control movement.
5.) Rachel Carson
Carson spent a majority of her life fighting against large chemical companies, working as a champion for the environment in a field where women were not welcome. She begin her career as an aquatic biologist, but switched to working as a full time writer, hoping to influence her government and the public. She spoke out against synthetic pesticides, bringing environmental concerns to the American public for one of the first times. Carson's books helped ban DDT and other pesticides, and her work helped to inspire grassroot environmental movements that eventually lead to the EPA. After her death, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter.
Hamilton reminds us that our choices matter, and that our stories may be told one day. The most wonderful thing about the play is that the story doesn't have to end there. History is filled with plenty of colorful characters to bring back to life, and whether we honor them or treat them with disdain, we must remember that one day we will also be history. Choose carefully, and tell stories well. Get to work, playwrights.
