Hamilton: How the Musical Remixes American History

Hamilton: An American Musical is a legitimate pop-culture phenomenon. Its December run at the Bushnell in Hartford sold out in record-breaking time. Its crafty lyrics, hip-hop tunes, and big, bold story have even rejuvenated interest in the real lives and true histories that Hamilton puts center stage.

In this talk, which is aimed at people who’ve seen the show or know the soundtrack, historian Richard Bell explores this musical phenomenon to reveal what its success tells us about the marriage of history and show-business. We’ll learn what this amazing musical got right and got wrong about Alexander Hamilton, the American Revolution, and the birth of the United States  — and about why that matters. We will examine some of the choices Hamilton’s creators made to simplify, dramatize, and humanize the complicated events and stories on which the show is based. We will also talk about Hamilton’s cultural impact: what does its runaway success reveal about the stories we tell each other about who we are and about the nation we made?

Admission is $10 for CMCH members, $15 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased in advance online (click here) or at the door.  Complimentary light refreshments will be served.

If you plan to attend, kindly email rsvp@chs.org or call 860-236-5621 ext. 238; this helps us better serve our patrons!

Questions? Contact Natalie Belanger, Adult Programs Manager, at natalie_belanger@chs.org.

About Our Speaker

Richard Bell (Ph.D. Harvard) is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland. His research interests focus on American history between 1750 and 1877. His published work includes We Shall Be No More: Suicide and Self-Government in the Newly United States (2012), and Buried Lives: Incarcerated in Early America (2012). Prof. Bell is also the author of several journal articles, most recently in the Journal of the Early Republic, Early American Literature, Slavery and Abolition, and History Compass. Prof. Bell has held research fellowships at more than a dozen libraries and institutes, including the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Abolition and Resistance at Yale University. He is also a frequent lecturer and debater on the C-Span television network. He is the recipient of more than a dozen teaching awards.