preview

Alexander Hamilton Impact On American Popular Culture

Decent Essays

More than two centuries have passed since American icon, Alexander Hamilton, famously engaged his political rival, Aaron Burr, in the fateful duel that ultimately cost him his life. Although the 12th day of July 1804 robbed Hamilton of his last breath, it, more importantly, commenced an era of remembrance and representation of his legacy in American popular culture that continues today. Most interesting is the current heightened period of popularity Hamilton’s legacy is experiencing now, 213 years after his violent death. From a massively popular Broadway musical (See Figure 1), adapted from an equally renown historical biography (See Figure 2), as well as an HBO miniseries (See Figure 3), the personification of America’s “ten-dollar father” has erupted onto the American popular culture landscape over the last fifteen years.
This paper will explore Alexander Hamilton’s resurgence into contemporary American popular culture and the arguments surrounding the recent efforts to retell his story. While providing a summarized view of the recently produced representations of Hamilton, this paper will additionally analyze the historical accuracy of each product, and ultimately evaluate the impact each creation has had on American popular culture.
The most recent revival of Alexander Hamilton in contemporary American popular culture can be attributed mainly to the massive critically and commercially successful Broadway musical production Hamilton: an American Musical, written by and

Get Access