If you are paying attention to the news at all, you have probably heard about the new musical" Hamilton" by Lin Manuel Miranda. I would encourage you to go on YouTube and listen to the album, because it is fantastic! You don't have to be a musical lover or a history buff to enjoy Miranda's clever, brilliant, multifaceted lines and his ingenious musical compositions. Everyone is suddenly fascinated by Lin Manuel Miranda and the founding father, so I thought it would be interesting to look into both of their lives. I quickly realized that their lives are very similar, yet very different.
"Immigrants; we get the job done"
Alexander Hamilton was born on a small island in the Caribbean in St. Croix. Lin Manuel Miranda's parents are both puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican), and Miranda is considered hispanoamericano (born in the U.S. and of Hispanic heritage). Lin credits his father as a hard worker and his father moved to the country because he saw a greater opportunity. His father helped foster his love of all music, and he was influenced by the music around him to make sure Alexander Hamilton's story was told. I argue that Lin Manuel Miranda is revolutionary; he is changing the laws of musicals, and broadening the creative scope which will open the door for different experiments with what can be done in the musical world.
Being born as an illegitimate son, Hamilton spent his whole life trying work his way to the top. As a young man, he wrote a description of a hurricane on the Island, which caught the attention of wealthy men when it was published in the newspaper. His elegance and powerful descriptive writing earned him a trip to America to get an education. Hamilton then saw revolutionary beginnings and eventually began to accumulate a revolutionary fervor. Without his support, we would not have the system of banking that we have today. Alexander Hamilton wanted to make sure that anarchy was avoided, and helped create the country as we know it today.
Both Miranda and Hamilton are movers and shakers, however their difference is the pride in their heritage. Hamilton spent his entire life trying to get rid of the dirty stain his illegitimacy and foreign ways. Lin Manuel embraces his roots and speaks fondly of Puerto Rico, and he is even fighting for Puerto Rico and trying to give them a voice. I even think that if Hamilton would have accepted his past, he might have lived longer and avoided some of the troubles his pride brought on him.
If this interests you, I highly suggest getting Ron Chernow's book on the life of Alexander Hamilton, and listening to some of Lin Manuel Miranda's songs from his musical "Hamilton"
