Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton, Hip-Hop, and the Law (Review)

by Stephen Rohde

Lisa Tucker's edited volume of essays uses the musical "Hamilton" as a lens on several significant legal issues ranging from originalism to employment discrimination. 

Historian Richard Bell Talks Hamilton’s Facts, Fictions at Library Society

University of Maryland historian Richard Bell says that the hit play was welcome for drawing attention to the challenges of the founding era, but didn't really address the dynamics of racism in colonial society. 

"Hamilton" and Politics Today

by Donald J. Fraser

The phenomenally successful "Hamilton" takes some liberties with its subject, but it still offers some valuable perspective on our politics today. 

Would the Founders Convict Trump and Bar Him From Office?

by Eli Merritt

"Today’s Republican senators must at least be willing to break with their party and disappoint some of their constituents — and, yes, perhaps lose their jobs in coming elections — to serve the larger interest of protecting the nation."

A Diverse Cabinet will Make Joe Biden a Better President and Unify the Country

by Lindsay M. Chervinsky

"Over the past 230 years, presidents have followed Washington’s lead, making increased diversity and representation of religions, backgrounds, genders and races a central part of the cabinet story."

New Research Suggests Alexander Hamilton Was a Slave Owner

A recent paper by a researcher at th Schuyler Mansion looks into Alexander Hamilton's papers to argue that is reputation as an abolitionist is undeserved; he had personal dealings in purchasing enslaved laborers for his household. 

Alexander Hamilton, Enslaver? New Research Says Yes

A paper by a researcher at the Schuyler Mansion finds overlooked evidence in letters and Hamilton’s own account books indicating that he bought, sold and personally owned slaves.  

The Historical Case for George W. Bush Endorsing Joe Biden

by Louis P. Masur

Hamilton demonstrated in 1800 something that matters today: being retired from politics isn’t the same as being retired from citizenship.

Schuyler Mansion Works to Bring Clarity to Alexander Hamilton’s Role as Enslaver

Jessie Serfilippi of the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site examines Alexander Hamilton's relationship to slavery and challenges his image as a proto-abolitionist. 

The Electoral Punt

by Jonathan Wilson

Many people imagine they understand the Framers' intent in creating the Electoral College. They impute more clarity of purpose than they should to a group who essentially made a slapdash compromise in order to be finished with the ordeal of drafting the Constitution. 

"Hamilton" as a Meditation on History and Memory

by Bennett Parten

In a moment in which Confederate monuments are finally coming down and we are re-thinking how we tell our history, Hamilton is a sign of hope. It’s a sign that while history is something we can never resign from, we can always enter the narrative and, like Eliza, construct a history of our own. 

The Paradox of Executive Underreach

by Michael A. Genovese

While the Constitution says more about limiting the overreach of the executive branch, functioning government must beware of an underreaching executive that abdicates responsibility. 

Hamilton And The Unsung Labors Of Wives

by Jennifer Forestal and Menaka Philips

Women, and particularly wives like Eliza Hamilton, have been essential to our political and intellectual histories; it’s long past time we tell their stories.

Hamilton, In Fiction And History, Is Key To Understanding The Electoral College

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court settled an important question about the function of the Electoral College that elects the U.S. president. But it did not address the pivotal question about the Electoral College.

‘Hamilton’ and the Historical Record: Frequently Asked Questions

The Disney+ filmed version has fans wondering what’s accurate. Historians are fans, too, and they have answers, along with caveats.

Land Deed for Pioneering School Sheds Light on an Early American Anti-Slavery Effort

Sotheby’s announced Wednesday that it is auctioning off a 1794 land deed for the first location of the African Free School in lower Manhattan, one of the first educational institutions founded to prepare free people of color and the children of enslaved people for life after slavery.

History Has Its Eyes on You, Senate, and if You Don't Know, Now You Know

by Jamie Stiehm

Aaron Burr famously foresaw it all, in the room where it happens one winter day in 2020: the Senate chamber.

Alexander Hamilton has been cast in a starring role for impeachment's closing arguments

Hamilton’s name appears 35 times in a 658-page report formally recommending impeachment that was released earlier Monday by the House Judiciary Committee.

155 Years After His Death, Abolitionist John Pierre Burr’s Epitaph Updated to Include His Father, Aaron Burr

Two of the most famous figures in American history share more than space in a history textbook.

Enough With Hamilton, Say Fans of Other Founding Fathers

Success of Broadway show steals limelight from Jefferson, Franklin and others; ‘not a lot of demand for James Madison’