Hamilton - The Best of America

I need to get one thing out of the way.  I am not American, and I have expressed my fair share of anti-American sentiment in my lifetime.  Learning about global issues and studying the role played by the United States in those issues, it's perhaps impossible not to have felt some anger towards the country.  Age and experience, however, have taught me that the U.S. can also be a powerful force for good and that there are countries far worse.  What's more, many countries do not have such large and vocal populations taking loud, vocal stands for what is right - even if it is in conflict with their country's 'interests '.  

If you have ever been angry about some action taken by the U.S. government, remember that there are probably Americans protesting, right now, those same actions, writing angry denouncements, and/or proposing a more just alternative. There are millions fighting for the U.S. to be good. 

With that out of the way, I can say that I cried tears of joy and admiration this week while watching the Broadway musical, Hamilton.

Simply put, Hamilton embodies all the best, all the astonishing promise of America.  

A younger me would have denied that such a thing existed because I would have been too focussed on the 'wrongs' of the United States.  But I know the younger me would still have seen the beauty in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton.  He has captured, along with the cast, all that is great (or potentially so) about America.

His source material is Alexander Hamilton, poor immigrant dreaming of greater things, who finds opportunity in colonial New York.  Whether you love the United States or not, no one can deny that the country still represents to millions around the world that opportunity for (as Hamilton sings) a shot at something better, a shot to be someone different and to reinvent oneself.  Those opportunities may not be distributed evenly or fairly, but there is no denying that the U.S. offers more opportunity than most.

The entire show embodies the great strength the country derives from its diversity.  The lyrics burst with the diversity of musical styles that have flourished from the fertile soils of American art.  The incredible talent of the entire cast demonstrates to any and all that America has benefitted enormously from all those people who have come here (whether by choice or not) over the many years of the country's existence.  The voices, dances, and brilliant minds that shaped Hamilton are distinctly American because they also have roots in many other places.

Miranda's creation does not shy away from the flaws and contradictions of the American experiment.  But in showing those flaws (slavery and class, for example), Miranda shows better than most 'patriots' one of the enduring strengths of the United States - you can denounce what you believe is wrong in your country and still love it.  Hamilton, the person and the play, show us all how the two are not incompatible.  

So I thank you, Lin-Manuel Miranda and cast.  I consider myself lucky to have witnessed your vision, your creativity, and your brilliance.  I cried for a lot of reasons, but more than anything I cried for what can be.

P.S. If ever there was a reason to keep Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, this was it.  Ditch Old Hickory instead.