Hamilfacts Part 2

Part 2 of our Hamilton series features the opening song (the original cast recording, which is reminiscent of that first White House Performance). Our protagonist grew up on tiny islands called Nevis & St. Croix in the West Indies that were part of the British Colonies. This songs hits all the highlights, but there are a few points worth noting. Alexander was abandoned by his father, his mother died while he was still young, and then the cousin he was living with died of suicide. So, at the age of 14 he started working as a clerk for a trading company. Alex was a voracious reader who had no education to speak of, but any book he could get his hands on he read through. His days passed without incident until a storm devastated the island. Alexander wrote a letter that described what the hurricane was like, “Good God! What horror and destruction. It’s impossible for me to describe or you to form any idea of it….It seemed as if a total dissolution of nature was taking place.” This letter was then published in a newspaper there on the island. Remarkably, the people on the island raised money to send him to America to be educated. The same people who were dealing with rebuilding from the ravaging storm were so moved by his words that they “passed the plate” on Hamilton’s behalf. 

America is a country that has always honored the well-bred and exclusively educated, which makes Hamilton’s rise to prominence all the more astounding. He truly went from having no prospects, no family name to rely on, no money, and no options to being our country’s first Treasury Secretary. Alex is the epitome of grit. He parlayed his Executive role in Washington’s cabinet to create a first-of its kind financial system; the foundations on which our markets run on to this day (he bartered the placement of the capital in DC as leverage to make it happen). Enjoy the opening number of the musical.

 Here is the original Broadway cast at the White House performing it live in the west wing (7 years after Lin first performed the song there):

The song starts at 9:06 (Obama intro beforehand) 

Here's the original cast recording:

Extra fun fact: Lin Manuel Miranda describes creating Hamilton: An American Musical to being like making a paella. “I took everything I know about musicals & Rap/Hip-Hop and threw it all in the pot. I knew I’d like what came out, but I didn’t realize everyone else would too.”  

Extra Extra Fun Fact: The guy who got Alex’s letter into the newspaper, thus starting the domino chain of American history, was a minister named Knox who was ordained by the president of the College of New Jersey (Now called Princeton) who’s name is Aaron Burr Sr. Yes, that Aaron Burr’s father….Aaron Burr the Vice President who ends up killing Hammy in a duel (The damned fool that shot him).

*List of sources will be posted at the end of the series*