![]() ![]() “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”Īnd when I meet Thomas Jefferson … I’m ‘a compel him to include women in the sequel! The duel is outlined in the musical's “Ten Duel Commandments.” (Hamilton served as Laurens's second and, after Laurens hit Lee in the side, convinced them not to go a second round.) Laurens was killed in August 1782 in a skirmish with British soldiers in South Carolina. Later, Laurens would participate in a duel against Charles Lee, a general who, embarrassingly, retreated at the Battle of Monmouth against General George Washington’s orders, then proceeded to badmouth both Laurens and Washington. Though the Continental Congress considered his plan, it ultimately rejected the idea. ![]() The London-educated Laurens was an abolitionist, and in 1778, he came up with a radical-and controversial-idea: Recruit enslaved people to the patriots' cause, then free them when their service was done. Like Hamilton, John Laurens served as an aide-de-camp to Washington (a position initially obtained for him by his father). On a stallion with the first black battalion… Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me Croix took up a collection to send Hamilton-who was previously self-educated-to America for more schooling. In response to the letter, residents of St. It was published, anonymously, in the October 3 issue. In 1772, a hurricane hit Hamilton wrote an account of the event in a letter to his father and was persuaded by an older friend, Henry Knox, to send it to the Royal Danish American Gazette. ![]() He must have been good at it: According to Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton (which inspired Miranda’s show), at one point, proprietor Nicholas Cruger had to return to New York for health reasons, and left Hamilton in charge for five months.Īlexander Hamilton / GraphicaArtis/Getty ImagesĪfter Lytton died by suicide in 1769, Hamilton-but not his brother-went to live with merchant Thomas Stevens (who some have suggested is Hamilton’s real father, based on Hamilton’s resemblance to Stevens’s son Edward). When Rachel died of a fever in 1768, Hamilton and his older brother went to live with a relative, Pyer Lytton.Īt just 14, Hamilton became a clerk at the import-export firm Beekman and Cruger, where he handled the money, charted routes for ships, and tracked goods (which, unfortunately, included slaves his abolitionist leanings later in life were probably influenced by what he saw). Hamilton's father abandoned them when he was a baby at some point, his mother moved the family to St. Born on the West Indies island of Nevis in either 1755 or ‘57, his father was a Scottish trader named James, and his mother, Rachel Fawcett Lavine, was married to someone else at the time (though they were separated). Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland …Įarly life was not easy for Alexander Hamilton. Well, the word got around, they said, “This kid is insane, man” ![]() Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brainĪnd he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned Got a lot farther by working a lot harderĪnd every day while slaves were being slaughtered and cartedĪway across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up. The ten-dollar founding father without a father Ahead of a movie version of the show featuring the original version of the cast hitting Disney Plus on July 3, we explain some lyrics below-make sure to read and listen along! (And these explanations are just the beginning you can find more over at Genius.) 1. The musical's lyrics are packed with references that made our inner history nerds rejoice. After centuries of being best known as that guy who was killed by Aaron Burr in a duel, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical, Hamilton, brought the achievements of the "10-dollar founding father" front and center-and rewrote what we think we know about history. ![]()
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