The Founding Fathers on Broadway

       It isn't too often that you hear the terms "Founding Fathers" and "hip-hop" in the same sentence, but Broadway's biggest hit, Hamilton, seeks to change that. The new musical about "the $10 Founding Father" is the story of the American Revolution told almost exclusively through hip-hop music, by a young, diverse cast that hardly resembles the Founding Fathers we are accustomed to seeing in history books. Hamilton has taken New York by storm since it premiered at the Public Theatre earlier this year and opened to rave reviews on Broadway in August. It has been enjoyed by swaths of political figures (including multiple visits by the Obama family), and will even be the host of a DNC fundraiser next month.

           Not only does the diverse casting make the musical accessible, it allows Hamilton to give credit where credit is due, recognizing both the women who inspired the Founding Fathers and the hard-working immigrants who shaped (and continue to shape) our nation. According to Rebecca Mead of the The New Yorker, the musical is "is a hymn to the allure that America promises the immigrant who aspires to reach its shores; it is also an argument for the invigorating power that this nation’s porous borders, and porous identity, have always offered." As Hamilton proudly says of his country in his final moments, "America, you great unfinished symphony [...], a place where even orphan immigrants can leave their fingerprints."              
         But what is it about Hamilton that's made it so politically significant? For starters, Hamilton is completely changing the way we portray our Founding Fathers. All of the main characters, with the exception of King George III, are played by young, non-white actors- a complete departure from the elderly white men we picture when we think of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the musical and stars as Alexander Hamilton, said on the subject, "Our cast looks like America looks now, and that’s certainly intentional. [...] It’s a way of pulling you into the story and allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the Founding Fathers at the door."     
        Another reason for Hamilton's popularity and political significance is the strong commentary within the musical, which just so happens to parallel the political theatre happening on Capital Hill today. To Patrick Healey of The New York Times, the most important lesson in Hamilton is the importance of compromise, a lesson that seems to have been lost in Washington in the past few years, especially in Congress. Compromises are made by everyone in Hamilton, as each of the characters strives to do what is best for their burgeoning nation, even if it means sacrifice on their end.  Healey quotes Ron Chernow- who's biography about Alexander Hamilton inspired the musical- saying, "What Lin is showing is that it’s very easy when you’re in the political opposition to take extreme ideological positions, but when you’re dealing with real power, you have to engage in messy realities and compromises to move forward." 
     Compromise was just as important in Hamilton's time as it is now, especially for Congressmen who hope to accomplish more in Washington than recent years of gridlock have allowed. It seems that Congressmen fighting neck-to-neck on Capital Hill could take a hint or two from Lin-Manuel Miranda and his ground-breaking new musical.  

         It is rare that a Broadway musical receives as much national press as Hamilton has, and it's even rarer to find one that politicians take such interest in. But "history is happening in Manhattan" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, and Hamilton is making a statement that is hard to ignore.
       If you want to find out more information about Hamilton, you can find the show's website here, and if you've ever wanted to listen to rap battles in Cabinet or a hip-hop breakdown of the Battle of Yorktown, (and believe me, you do) you can stream the cast album in its entirety here.








Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/10/02/obama-planning-to-see-hamilton-again-to-raise-money-for-democrats/?_r=0
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/why-donald-trump-and-jeb-bush-should-see-hamilton
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/sunday-review/hamilton-and-the-republican-hopefuls.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/theater/hamilton-heads-to-broadway-in-a-hip-hop-retelling.html