American Revolutionary and Constitutional Convention
Directions:
Read the series of articles included in the link “The American Revolutionary” and “An Illustrated Guide to The Hamilton Stage” and use the information from the articles to answer the following short answer questions. Again, if you are not familiar with The Revolutionary War and Alexander Hamilton’s history, I highly encourage you to also read “Hamilton’s Biography.” Each answer should be written in paragraph form. Be sure to cite evidence from the article and play, either quoted or paraphrased, to support your responses.
Links to Readings:
- The American Revolutionary,
- An Illustrated Guide to the Hamilton Stage,
- Alexander Hamilton Biography
- Hamilton is serving as Treasury Secretary and fighting to get the new government to assume and pay off states debts.
- These events take us through the Revolutionary War and the Constitutional Convention. Hamilton was key in getting New York to ratiff the Constitution through his role in writing The Federalist Papers. The state originally objected because they feared a strong federal government.
- Read the Biography from “The Revolutionary War” to “Secretary of Treasury II” for more information. It’s really helpful
Questions: Choose 4 out of 5 of the questions below. Answer the four you choose thoroughly to receive credit.
- From watching Hamilton so far, why do you believe Hamilton wanted so badly to fight in The Revolutionary War? Why wasn’t he satisfied with contributing in a manner that worked with his talents?
- How would you characterize George Washington, as portrayed in the play? How is this characterization developed (consider: his use of rhythm/rhyme in his speech, the actions is shown doing, his costuming and casting)? Then, how is his relationship with Hamilton depicted? What kind of relationship do they seem to have?
- The Schuyler sisters, especially Angelica and Eliza play important roles in Hamilton’s life. How would you characterize each young lady? How does the play depict their relationships? What words or actions show how both feel about Hamilton?
- Ron Chernow, who wrote the biography on which the musical is based, said that he was surprised by the multiracial casting at first, but after he watched it he noted that “the whole concept of Hamilton, I realized, was inseparable from casting. The miracle of the play is that it shows us who we were as a nation but also who we are now.” Another article in “The American Revolutionary” notes that the musical makes rap feel like an obvious vehicle for telling the story of the revolution. How does casting and the use of rap add to the perception of Hamilton as a story told by modern America about our past? Do you agree with Lin-Manuel’s choice to use multiracial casting and rap? Why or why not?
- “An Illustrated Guide to the Hamilton Stage” talks about the stage reflecting how Hamilton depicts America as a work in progress. Describe two ways staging shows America’s birth and growth as a nation.
“Be sure to format your assignment in proper MLA format with a heading in the upper left-hand corner, double space your assignment, and write in 12point font”