On July 3rd, Disney+ released the official recording of the stage production of Hamilton for the world to view for the first time. The reason why Disney decided to release this now is, from a business standpoint, pretty obvious. The global pandemic of COVID-19 has currently jeopardized the movie theater industry while giving a considerable boost to streaming services. Although The Mandalorian was a big success for the service, the first season released back in November of 2019. There wasn’t much else on the platform that audiences were anticipating and willing to keep a subscription for. Disney needed one big thing with wide appeal to easily capture the public’s attention while they are stuck at home, and it just so happened Disney had plans to release an already finished recording of Hamilton in theaters next year. Shifting the release was, financially, a smart move.
Of course, the return of Hamilton has not been met with universal fanfare. Hamilton’s release has come at a time where the American people are having a serious debate about how we should remember historical figures in the modern day. Specifically, should historical figures be honored just because of their historical significance, despite their actions that we now recognize as immoral? Can Thomas Jefferson’s sexual assault of Sally Hemmings truly be excused by these actions being normalized by the time period? Should we honor Jefferson and founding fathers who similarly profited off of slavery with things like statues... and musicals?
It’s no secret that Hamilton glosses over slavery in its narrative, bringing it up mainly in the context of those who opposed it. The musical is more than happy to discuss John Laurens and his plan to free slaves to fight in the Revolutionary War, but Sally Hemmings is nothing more than a cameo in the opening of act two. The worst that Jefferson gets in the musical is a diss from Hamilton in their rap battle, but the line is directed more at the South as a whole than Jefferson himself. Hamilton himself brags about being an abolitionist in the musical, while ignoring that the Schuylers were a major slave-owning family. It’s this rose-tinted view of historical events that has led to many questioning the value of Hamilton, and its legacy.
This is interesting, because Hamilton is a musical that is consumed by legacy. The musical’s core is the similar goal but differing perspectives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Both want to have an impact in the world around them and be remembered in history, but they have different ways of going about achieving these goals. In the musical's third song, “My Shot”, Hamilton characterizes himself as someone who will not hesitate in taking chances to achieve his goals and etch his name into the annals of history, even if it means his death.
Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me,
I will lay down my life if it sets us free,
Eventually, you'll see my ascendency
Death is actually seen by Hamilton as a great way to secure his legacy in the first act. He's desperate to have an active part in the war, and if he dies and is remembered as a war hero, then that's more than he could ask for.
Burr, meanwhile, is very determined to not die. In the very same song, he urges his contemporaries to "keep out of trouble and double their choices". He is a person who, rather than jumping into military and political danger headfirst, would rather survey the situation and find the best time to act. His song establishing his motivations is called "Wait For It", which tells you pretty much everything you need to know.
Through the musical, Hamilton's direct approach leads him to great success, getting to lead the Battle of Yorktown, and afterwards serve as the first Secretary of Treasury. Burr, meanwhile, does not gain the same level of success, leading to his mounting frustration.
Hamilton's statement on legacy is made clear by the closing song:
You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story
Hamilton and Burr spend the entire play attempting to define their legacy through their actions, with Hamilton going so far as to publicly out himself as having cheated on his wife in order to save face in the future. At the end of the day, how they will be remembered is up to the people who tell their story.
Before the musical hit Broadway, Hamilton wasn't exactly the most well-remembered founding father. However, due to him writing most of the Federalist Papers and creating the national bank, he still is featured heavily in the history books. He also gets to be on the ten dollar bill, and probably has a school or two named after him somewhere. Burr, meanwhile, was remembered for two things: his loss in the Election of 1800, and (in the fashion of a Shakespearean tragedy) the one time he didn't hesitate in the infamous duel.
With the musical, we now have a super-successful telling of both men's stories that almost singlehandedly made these historical figures household names. Hamilton has now become Hamilton's legacy, and Burr's as well. Hamilton is portrayed as the flawed hero who made incredible achievements and who we are asked to root for despite his terrible faults. While Burr is the self-proclaimed "villain", he still is portrayed as sympathetic, and the audience is made to understand exactly where he is coming from when he makes his fatal decision.
I had only one thought before the slaughter:
This man will not make an orphan of my daughter
Who wouldn't do the same, right?
It can be argued how accurate this depiction is, but this has become how these two men are remembered. This is their legacy, and it would appear to be a pretty secure one... except for one small problem. Our definition of legacy is changing.
Hamilton the musical focuses so much on individual actions and relationships as the defining parts of legacy, ignoring larger social and economic systems that play just as big of a factor in that legacy. The people who are going to become responsible for the legacy of these historical figures are becoming increasingly tired of the complicity of others in corrupt systems that have served to destroy the lives of millions upon millions of people. There's a growing disillusionment with America's supposed "great unfinished symphony". It doesn't just matter who tells the story, after all, but who interprets it as well. Current interpretations have not been kind.
So, what is a legacy? It is the societal perspective, which is ever-changing and growing. It is something that no one individual truly has control over. What is in our control is our own perspective, and our own actions. We cannot control if or how we are remembered, but we can do our best to do good in this world. That will outlive us long after we are gone.