Ten years ago the Broadway hit musical “Hamilton,” known for its use of rap and hip hop to tell the story about the founding fathers and the American Revolution, made its debut at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City on Feb. 17, 2015. Today, it continues to be a musical that has touched people’s hearts and brought people from all over the world together.

Lin-Manuel Miranda takes a unique spin on educating people about American history in “Hamilton.” In comparison to other Broadway musicals, “Hamilton” only has a handful of spoken dialogue. Most of the story is told through different genres of songs, including rap, hip-hop, R&B and jazz. Even if you do not see the film or the show live on Broadway, you can still understand the full story by just listening to the soundtrack. The music is so catchy and engaging that even people who would normally find theatre or history boring appreciate this piece of art.   

Moreover, the main characters, excluding Jonathan Groff as King George III and Thayne Jasperson as Samuel Seabury, are all people of color playing white historical figures. This type of casting is still rare on Broadway, highlighting one of the many barriers that “Hamilton” broke. For instance, Aaron Burr, the United States’ third Vice President and Alexander Hamilton’s rival, is played by Leslie Odom Jr. in the original Broadway cast. Miranda himself is also Puerto Rican, playing Hamilton. This casting decision by Miranda has also given actors of color so many opportunities, especially younger actors who were new to the Broadway world.

“Hamilton” tells a deeply emotional story, specifically about the Founding Father Hamilton. This musical sticks and resonates with people of all backgrounds. Themes of justice and community are present throughout the entire musical. A line in particular that has gotten plenty of attention is “Immigrants, we get the job done!” said by both Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette in the musical. The line is so impactful that the live orchestra has to purposefully pause for a longer period of time due to the amount of applause it gets, especially due to the political climate dating back to 2015. Furthermore, the musical highlights Hamilton’s immigrant identity as well as his being a Founding Father. This emphasizes that America was in fact built and fueled by immigrants and the musical allows people to embrace the country’s richly diverse background. 

In 2020, the “Hamilton” pro-shot was released on Disney+, helping bring joy to people’s lives during the COVID-19 pandemic when Broadway was temporarily closed. Now, for its 10th anniversary, “Hamilton” is in theaters which started Sept. 5 for a limited amount of time. The film is three hours long with a 10-minute intermission, similar to Broadway. However, due to high demand, its time on the big screen was expanded. As seen all over social media, people are dressing up in Founding Father outfits or as any of the three Schuyler sisters. Moreover, Miranda has encouraged fans on his own social media accounts to sing along.

“Hamilton” has inspired and brought people together regardless of their background. The fans are such a strong-knit community. The musical and what it’s produced has become a symbol of what America was made for.

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