Hamilton Video Blog Post 6

Why We Tell Their Story

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Alexander Hamilton, before becoming a musical sensation, was simply known as the man on the ten dollar bill.  He was someone students learned about in history class and then forgot once the semester ended. I argue that Hamilton was able to become such a success on Broadway because Lin Manuel Miranda was able to bring to life a relatively dull topic and reteach the subject in a fun way.  

According to “Alexander Hamilton’s Biography”, published by Biography, a reputable source of the biographies of hundreds of people, states that Hamilton was born in the British West Indies; his father left him and his mother passed away.  Hamilton was able to travel to America and make a name for himself by becoming a lawyer in New York City.  He fought in the American Revolution and became George Washington’s Right-hand man.  When Washington was elected president, Hamilton was appointed Secretary of Treasury.  

Hamilton was a federalist who believed in a more loose view of the constitution while his biggest political rival, Thomas Jefferson, was a Democratic-Republican who believed in a strict interpretation of the constitution.  As time progress and George Washington stepped down from Office, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton’s political differences created the first two party system in America.  George Washington had warned about having different political parties in his farewell address, but the split was inevitable.  

After John Adams became the second President and left Office, the election of 1800 became a huge debate.  The two candidates were Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.  Even though the Federalists were losing power and Hamilton was no longer Secretary of Treasury, he still had great control on who would win the election.  Hamilton was able to persuade people to vote for Jefferson over Burr because in Hamilton’s eyes Burr had no strong morals.  This resulted in Jefferson becoming President and Aaron Burr becoming Vice President.  Aaron Burr was extremely upset with the outcome of the election, and, after a couple of years, asked Hamilton to duel, shot, and killed him.  

Hamilton was able to encompass this story and make it enjoyable for the audience to relearn about their founding fathers.  Lin Manuel Miranda is not just casting a positive light on Hamilton, though.  Hamilton also focuses on Alexander’s affair on his wife, Eliza, the Reynolds Pamphlet, and the many downfalls Hamilton faced like losing his son.  

I know that when learning about this Era in APUSH Hamilton made it a lot easier to learn the material and actually enjoy it.  Hamilton has been able to stay so popular because there are many people like myself who have used this genius musical to advance their own knowledge.  

Hamilton Tickets Are Expensive but Worth It

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As our nation grows, the distribution of wealth becomes more and more uneven. The wealthy are able to see the Broadway productions that are popular while the poor aren't always given the same opportunities. I argue that Hamilton has been able to stay such a success even with high ticket prices because the audience gains much more out of the show than the money they would be saving.


Hamilton, although being well known for it’s incredible casting choices, songs, and story line, is also famous for its incredibly high ticket prices.  Even though Hamilton tickets can cost upwards of $3,000, people are still spending money on this show compared to tickets for Waitress which are roughly $300 at most.

According to TicketMaster the tickets in the rear mezzanine can cost between approximately $400-$550; the front mezzanine can cost between $700-$1500.  And the front orchestra section costs between $570-$3,100.  Obviously, the tickets are expensive.  Although the cost of tickets varies, no matter where you get a seat the price is expensive.  However, when reading the article titled, "I Paid $2,500 for a 'Hamilton' Ticket. I'm Happy About It", by New York Times, a reputable news source in NYC, written by Gregory Mankiw, a Harvard economics teacher, it explains that price-gouging the tickets have been able to keep the show a success because it is keeping the show aloft by the enormous price. When I looked further into the comment section of this article, many people disagreed with the price gouging of the tickets. They pointed out that while the show might be worth the money, it is still not morally right for the prices to be that high, especially when companies like Ticket Master (the middle man of the transaction) are making about 80% of the profits. Hamilton tickets are becoming a highly controversial topic, and even though there are raffles the day of shows for people to get free tickets, people are still complaining about the prices. But, for the past year, Hamilton has been able to stay on top even with the controversy because the people realize they are gaining much more than what their money can give them.

The price of the tickets is determined by the value of the show.  Hamilton includes the fastest rap song in Broadway History, has won 11 Tony's, and includes a powerful cast.  Hamilton’s ticket prices are much more expensive than other shows currently on Broadway because the audience gets more out of seeing Hamilton than it does by seeing other shows.  People are therefore willing to pay the incredibly high prices because they know the experience they get from the show is worth the money.  The audience is aware that when purchasing tickets voluntarily they are gaining more from the trade than they are giving.

Last I will research the history behind the musical which makes it so popular.  

Hamilton's Diverse Cast Brings in Audience Members

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Our nation is forever changing.  It is undeniable that racial situations are extremely different today than compared to a couple decades ago.  However many strides have been taken to create equality amongst whatever race/nationality is, there have been very few thriving Broadway Musicals with people of color starring as leads or having an all people of color cast.  I argue the reason that Hamilton has been able to stay a Broadway Musical ‘Monopoly’ because of its unique casting choices, making it a historical event in itself, and therefore making consumers want to be apart of its legacy.

The article published by The Nation, ‘How Hamilton is revolutionizing Broadway’, written by Alisa Solomon, who has an extensive background of reviewing Broadway Shows, states, “Many of the most enduring musicals have responded to contemporary currents that invited audiences to reconsider the very meaning of Americanness”.  Hamilton was created very specifically during a time in which there was a lot of social unrest and questioning of more serious issues like immigration, different racial movements, and much more.  Lin Manuel Miranda, the writer and producer of Hamilton, chose people of color to play characters that were historically White to show that America is a nation that was built by everyone (even those who might be forgotten).  He further chose a diverse cast to show what our nation culturally looks like today.  Miranda wants the audience members to reimagine history and take note that everyone can ‘rise up’.  Solomon notes that Hamilton is not the first musical to have done this, pointing out that Music Man was created in 1957, while suburbs of cities were starting to expand and become more popular, overall showing the fear and excitement people had with this new lifestyle, and that Fiddler on the Roof was created in 1964, during a time when the United States started accepting more immigrants and becoming a more mixed nation.  

Lin Manuel Miranda has told time news that he wants his show to, “Allow you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the founding fathers at the door”.  People are drawn to Hamilton because it is brand new, something the people haven’t seen before.  Hamilton is incredibly famous and it draws audiences all around the world because people want to watch the show and become transported.  Having a diverse cast is bringing new audiences because the people want to feel like they are taking a stand with the cast to creating a more equal social society.  Hamilton has creatively used Broadway to plug for more rights for the African American community.  While it is not a show directly targeted at taking a political stance, it certainly entertained the idea that our nation was created equally by everyone and that today the people should be treated equally.  Not only is the music making this show historic but the bold casting choices are what’s drawing in the crowds.  People are okay sacrificing their money on expensive Hamilton tickets because they feel like they are apart of something much larger than them, and when they see the show they are supporting what America should strive to be.  

Next: I will focus more on the economic side of Hamilton (ticket prices) and figure out why people spend such large sums of money on the tickets for Hamilton.  

Hamilton's Unique Soundtrack Leads to Success

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The musical theater world is a very dynamic and changing environment that makes it difficult for shows to survive.  The musicals are competing with each other for ticket sales, the best soundtrack, best actors and actresses, making this entertainment much more complicated than it seems.  Hamilton, however, has been able to thrive in this world compared to other lesser known shows like Waitress which premiered in this past year, too.  I argue that the reasons why Hamilton has been able to dominate this scene is because of its unique soundtrack that combines learning with music.

The article published in Opposing Viewpoints in Contents, written by Tara Helfman, a teacher at the Syracuse University College of Law, titled Why Hamilton Matters: the Broadway triumph is the antidote to our identity-obsessed culture, states, “ This is why Hamilton is so important. It both depicts and embodies the dynamism and synthesis at the heart of America's founding”.  It further discusses the genre of music Hamilton’s soundtrack is composed of. Hamilton uses rap music to help the watcher understand that Alexander Hamilton was a spitfire man; he came from nothing and used his drive and dedication to America to become someone important in American History.  Rap music is the only genre that would make sense for this specific musical because classical music is not able to convey the urgency of his short life to accomplish all he wanted to do. Traditionally, in rap music, the artist says their verse and doesn’t repeat it like a chorus.  This is utilized in Hamilton to show that Alexander Hamilton never looked back at his actions and kept progressing forward.  He didn’t hesitate or miss a beat.  There has never been a musical like Hamilton where rap music is used to convey the story, and this fresh musical draws people from all over purely because of its ingenuity.  

Music in this show is used not only to progress the story but also to show symbolism.  Great Britain, during the time of the Revolution, was stagnant and didn't want to reform to please the colonies.  This can be seen in King George lll’s songs, where all three of his songs are in the same key, follow the same chord progression, and are predictable.  Comparing the King’s songs to the other songs, it is easy to see this was done on purpose to show a difference between what the colonies wanted and what Great Britain wanted.  Lin Manuel Miranda, the composer, director, and star, of Hamilton also dedicates some of his songs to people that shaped his musical life.  The song Ten Dual Commandments is dedicated to The Notorious BIG's song Ten Crack Commandments.  The viewers are drawn to this musical because it is appealing to a younger crowd.  The youth in America are not interested in seeing a musical with classical music, but instead a musical where they are being targeted as the audience.  By creating music that the intended audience listens to, it makes it easier to learn and have fun while doing it.

Each decade or so, there is a great, life changing musical.  Rent was able to transform the original Broadway environment by talking about controversial topics, like AIDS, sex, homosexuality, and much more.  On top of that Rent was one of the first rock musicals that took stage, creating a new idea of what it was like to go see a Broadway Musical.  For millennials, Hamilton is musical that has changed Broadway.  Hamilton draws crowds from all over the world because their viewers know that this is now creating a historic musical theater era, and everyone want’s to be involved in its iconic rise of fame.  

Future Research:  I will research more how Hamilton has changed the musical theater world and how it has become a historic movement.

Hamilton Passion Project

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• RESEARCH TOPIC:  Hamilton

• KEY ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE I’M ADDRESSING:  People gain when they trade voluntarily.

• OVERALL RESEARCH QUESTION THAT CONNECTS MY TOPIC TO THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE:  How has Hamilton been able to dominate the musical theater world and attract watchers from all over the world, even with its incredibly high ticket prices, all while benefiting their customers when they chose to trade voluntarily?

• SUB QUESTIONS/TOPICS THAT HELP ADDRESS THE OVERALL RESEARCH QUESTION
• What are the main factors why people see Hamilton?
• Why Hamilton Matters: the Broadway triumph is the antidote to our identity-obsessed culture
• Funky Founder
• Lin-Manuel Miranda Talks ‘Hamilton’: Once a ‘Ridiculous’ Pitch, Now A Revolution
• How ‘Hamilton’ is Revolutionizing the Broadway Musical
• ‘Hamilton’ is the most Important Musical of our Time
• Price of tickets, and further the price of tickets per each seating section.
• Hamilton Official Broadway
• Tickets: Hamilton
• Difference in Hamilton and other musicals.  
• Can Pop Musicals Bring New Audiences to Broadway
• Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. Reveal How Rent Shaped History and Hamilton