Hamilton we love you, but you’re complicated. It’s not us – it’s you. At 144 words per minute, you cram in double the words of a normal musical (and average 6 words per second in your fastest song). Also – none of us grew up learning American history (we can barely remember Australian history). So it’s only fair that we put together a cheat sheet before seeing you for the first time (or a refresher for the next time), so we can all just relax and enjoy your brilliance – without wondering what the heck is going on.
The world is gonna know your name
Before he was born, Alexander Hamilton’s mother ran away from an unhappy marriage. However her husband had her imprisoned for adultery, and she was branded a prostitute. After her release from jail, she met James Hamilton and had a son, James Junior, then later, Alexander, in 1755. But Alexander’s father abandoned them, and his mother later died of illness when he was 13. Her estranged husband emerged after her death to seize her estate, leaving the brothers penniless. They went to live with their cousin, who committed suicide soon after. Alexander then had a falling out with his brother and the two went their separate ways. He was living in St. Croix, in the Caribbean, when a hurricane flattened the whole island. Basically, the kid couldn’t catch a trick.
‘How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore, impoverished in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?’ – Hamilton cast, Act I
Not throwing away my shot
After the hurricane, however, Hamilton’s fortunes began to change. He wrote an essay about the destruction it had caused, which was produced in the local newspaper. Seeing his potential, the local elders established a fund to send the teenager to King’s College in New York.
Hamilton made some important friends at this point. There was John Laurens, who believed in abolishing slave labour, Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and revolutionary, and Hercules Mulligan, who introduced Hamilton to New York society. He also tried to befriend Aaron Burr, who had also been a child prodigy, and had been admitted to Princeton at age 13. However they had different attitudes to life and failed to hit it off.
‘Talk less, smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for’ – Aaron Burr, Act I
Rise up!
It was around this time that the idea of American Revolution against British oppression was gaining popularity, and Hamilton published several long essays encouraging this. When the governing body of the American colonies, the Continental Congress, officially called for independence, the troops tore down a statue of King George III in excitement and melted it to make bullets. But the odds weren’t in their favour – no colony had ever successfully broken away from the British, who had the world’s biggest naval army at the time.
‘When push comes to shove, I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love’ – King George III, Act I
General George Washington was to lead the Revolution. He had heard great things about Hamilton (who was by then 22) and invited him to be his ‘aide de camp’ – or in other words, his personal assistant. Hamilton was reluctant to accept the offer. He wanted to ‘fight, not write’, but ultimately took the job.
Down for the count
There was still time for fun though, and Hamilton and his friends were popular with the ladies. It wasn’t long before he met the daughters of Philip Schuyler, a wealthy and powerful New York senator – Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy – the ‘Schuyler sisters’. Angelica, the eldest, was known to readily engage in current affairs and politics, and it’s said her first encounter with Hamilton was indeed intense, however she was actually married at the time to a wealthy British merchant. But it was all good because Hamilton met and fell in love with Eliza Schuyler, and the feeling was mutual. They were soon married.
Don’t call me Son
Meanwhile the wartime effort was going less well. An officer called Charles Lee was promoted to Washington’s second-in-command, and led the Battle of Monmouth. However, where the revolutionists wanted to gain ground, he called them to retreat – an act of direct insubordination. This got him arrested and later suspended from the army. He heaped abuse on Washington and Hamilton via print. Laurens was infuriated and challenged Lee to a duel. Yes, that was really a thing back then.
Lee was shot but survived. However when Washington got wind of what was going on, he chastised both Laurens and Hamilton for infighting during a war. This brought to a head all the anger Hamilton had over not being allowed a combat role – he still desperately wanted to be a General. Washington had never wanted to promote Hamilton because he knew no one else could do a better job of writing his correspondence. It was a classic case of making yourself too indispensable. Hamilton quit.
Immigrants: We get the job done
This is when General Lafayette came to the rescue. He liaised with France for the supply of vital equipment and additional soldiers, and convinced Washington to give Hamilton his long sought-after command. Hamilton could finally lead troops – and he did so, in the Battle of Yorktown. They won. In fact, not only did the British surrender, but following the siege the British government were prompted to negotiate an end to the Revolution. Huzzah! Down with the King! (Well, that’s what we might be shouting if we weren’t still sitting comfortably under a British Head of State ourselves eek).
Are you aware that we’re making history?
Nation-building needed to happen quickly. Hamilton finished off his studies and began to study law. He proposed a plan for a new form of government – writing 51 essays in 6 months defending the new US constitution. And he was appointed Secretary of the Treasury under Washington, who was the newly appointed President. Thomas Jefferson, who had been the Ambassador to France during the Revolution, returned to America to become Secretary of State. Hamilton and Jefferson clashed head-first in Cabinet. Jefferson particularly disagreed with Hamilton’s plans for the federal government to assume state debt incurred during the Revolution, and to establish a national bank.
‘When Britain taxed our tea, we got frisky. Imagine what gon’ happen when you try to tax our whisky’ – Jefferson, Act II
Someone under stress meets someone looking pretty
On the home front, Hamilton had had a son, Philip. His wife wanted him to spend more time with his family, but Hamilton was too busy thinking about how to get his financial plan through congress. She went for a summer holiday to her father’s estate in Albany. Hamilton stayed home. Enter 23-year-old Maria Reynolds, who arrived unannounced and desperate at Hamilton’s door. She told him her husband had treated her cruelly, abandoned her for another woman, and left her without any money. Hamilton helped her out…in more ways than one. On multiple occasions. Yep, while his family were out of town, he had managed to find enough time away from his work for an illicit affair. Unfortunately for him, James Reynolds, Maria’s husband found out about it (some say it was all a set up) and demanded compensation for his ‘ruined marriage’.
‘Dear Sir, I hope this letter finds you in good health, and in a prosperous enough position to put wealth in the pockets of people like me: down on their luck. You see, that’s my wife who you decided to – ’ James Reynolds, Act II
Hamilton began transferring significant amounts of blackmail money, in quarterly instalments, to keep the affair quiet. Biographer Ron Chernow called it ‘one of history’s most mystifying cases of bad judgment’.
The room where it happens
In happier news, Hamilton’s financial plan was passed by way of the Funding Act of 1790, and the first Bank of the United States was established to manage state debts. Support for the bill came about through what became known as the Dinner Compromise of 1790 – where Hamilton, Jefferson, and fellow congressman James Madison went for a private dinner. During this, they agreed to support Hamilton’s plan, in return for his support of locating the capital city in its current location of Washington.
Hamilton had even further luck in Cabinet when they debated whether to aid France in their war against England. Jefferson pointed out that France had come to their aid during their own revolution, and that they had a signed military pact – the Treaty of Alliance. Hamilton argued that the treaty was null and void because they had signed it with France’s King Louis XVI, who had been beheaded by his people during the French Revolution. Washington backed Hamilton and issued a Proclamation of Neutrality.
Never gon’ be President now
But Hamilton’s run as the golden child wasn’t to last. In 1796, Washington decided not to run for a third term of presidency, and Hamilton helped him write his iconic Farewell Address. While Jefferson threw his hat in the ring, it was John Adams, the previous Vice President, who won the election, and Hamilton was fired.
Also by this point, Jefferson and Madison had teamed up with Burr (that 13-year-old Princeton prodigy who Hamilton had once admired was now New York senator) to investigate money flowing to and from the Treasury. When they discovered Hamilton’s payments to James Reynolds, they thought it was evidence of illegal political dealings and confronted him about it. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he was forced to admit he’d been paying to cover up his own sex-scandal. And it gets worse. Worried about what the trio might do with this information, he took matters into his own hands and published the Reynolds Pamphlet, where he publicly admitted to the affair.
Fire your weapon in the air
Yep, Hamilton had cleared his name of embezzlement – but he also set off a bigger chain of events. Apart from ruining his reputation, he subjected his wife and family to public humiliation. Philip Hamilton was 19 years old when George Eacker, one of Hamilton’s critics, openly insulted his father. Philip had had enough. He challenged Eacker to a duel – which sadly he lost with fatal consequences.
The tragedy continued when Jefferson and Burr both decided to run against Adams for the presidency in the Election of 1800, in what became a two-horse race. The Federalist Party looked to Hamilton to see which way they should vote, and even though both candidates were his enemies, he endorsed Jefferson.
‘I have never agreed with Jefferson once. We have fought on – like – 75 different fronts. But when all is said and all is done, Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none.’ – Hamilton, Act II
An enraged Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. Yes, another duel. Still a thing. But this time it was Hamilton himself who lost his life. He was 47.
Best of wives and best of women
And that would have been the end of the story, really, if not for his loyal wife. Eliza and Hamilton had reconciled after the death of their son. So, despite the fact she and their seven remaining children were left with a mountain of debt when he died, she spent the next 50 years of her life as a generous philanthropist advancing his cause. She raised funds for the Washington Monument, helped to abolish slavery, and established the first private orphanage in New York, in her husband’s name.
So there you go, now you know more about America’s ‘lesser known’ Founding Fathers than you ever thought you’d need to know – and if you thought this summary was long, just wait til you see how much more they manage to squeeze into the musical! Happy theatre-going.
With love,
Leave a Reply