This past summer, I went to go see Hamilton on Broadway in New York City. This musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton and his relationship with the other founding fathers through a series of musical numbers and rap battles. Lin Manuel-Miranda read Hamilton’s biography and turned it into one of the most popular and loved Broadway shows today. In 2 hours and 55 minutes, the actors and actresses put on a beautiful, moving performance that tells the interesting and strangely dramatic history of America.
It was May 2016 and the Hamilton hype was unreal. Since everyone loved it, I decided to give the music a listen, even though rap isn’t my favorite genre of music. The forty-six tracks intimidated me. But after the first piece, I fell in love with the beat, rhythm and tone. Fast forward two months. Catch me in the shower singing to Hamilton. Catch me in the car. Catch me humming at work. Catch me playing the pieces on piano. Hamilton followed me everywhere. Thanks, Lin.
This musical presents the audience with a powerful message. America was a white man’s world in the late 1700s. However, the Hamilton cast consists of Caucasians, Hispanics and African Americans. The fact that the cast is diverse emphasizes the importance of culture in this country. America is known as the melting pot, which means that people from different backgrounds unite to make one full country. Manuel-Miranda stresses the importance of immigrants. Alexander Hamilton, himself, was an immigrant who came to America to build the foundation of this nation. He co-wrote the Federalist Papers, helped establish the constitution, and supported the established of our first national bank. This great nation would not be the same without immigrants who came spreading their culture and differences.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience made me think about diversity at the University of Delaware. UD is a very white campus. According to statistics, 75% of the student population is white. I believe we should change this and embrace others’ cultures. College is a microcosm for the real world; in the real world, there are people with all kinds of ethnicities. There are language differences, religious differences, gender differences, sexual orientations differences and socioeconomic status differences. Diversity promotes self-awareness, social development and creative thinking.
Furthermore, Lin-Manuel Miranda provided Americans with a new found love for their country and its cultural diversity through Hamilton. This show not only changed the way people think about America but changed our social understanding of America’s history. I suggest everyone to go see this show!
