At the beginning of spring break, Mary and I realized a dream: a dream that we have been nurturing for all of . . . 3 months!

 

We saw the musical, Hamilton!

 

Before last December's holiday season, all I knew about this country's first Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton, was that his face is on the ten dollar bill and that he was shot in a duel by Aaron Burr. And then some good friends and supportive alumni parents gave us the CD of the musical, having just seen the show in New York themselves. They obviously know our tastes very well, because we did not stop listening to it, in the house, on our walks, in our cars, and even in the shower. I learned more about American history (the Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary periods) in those twelve weeks than I ever did in the previous 60+ years!

 

We became obsessed with Hamilton!

 

Did you know that Alexander Hamilton founded the US Coastguard, or the New York Post, or why he ended up dueling Burr, or even who Burr was? Did you know how Washington DC was chosen and established as our capital city and by whom? You may be surprised at the answer. (Insider hint: You had to be in "the room where it happened.") Did you know about the vital role played by newly-arrived immigrants and foreigners (particularly the French) in the nation's founding? And how soon thereafter we had to grapple with the dilemma of whether or not to involve ourselves in faraway conflicts. (Sound familiar?) Did you know that the runner-up in the presidential election used to automatically take on the role of Vice President? Imagine if that were still the case now! It's all there, and much more, in the intense, dense lyrics and catchy tunes and raps of Hamilton!

 

And, yes, we loved the show as much as our friends had expected. Our only minor disappointment was that George Washington was played by an understudy that evening, and he was . . . short. It didn't matter to us, of course, that the actor, like the one for whom he was filling in, is African American. Almost all the leads are played by non-white actors. No, it just bothered us that he was short!

 

YouTube is bursting with Hamilton. If you haven't been sucked into the vortex yet, try this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hamilton-white-visit-was-so-important_us_56e82e9be4b0860f99da64dd?utm_hp_ref=arts 

 

or this, from 2009: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0aX8Jy1tME 

 

And listen to the music, but be careful, you may never be able to get it out of your head! And you may never learn as much about our country's founding. Adamant that you don't like rap music? (I was until recently.) Ask me for the very special, personally compiled "Intro to Hamilton for People Who Always Thought They Hated Rap" CD!

 

"Immigrants, we get the job done!"

 

Peter