1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre
This article analyzes how Hamilton and 1776 address a similar historical moment to engage history about the “founding” of the United States, and how their different engagements with that history reflect the specific cultural moments in which they occur. This article asks how these musicals use the a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2023-02-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/19309 |
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| author | Anne Melissa Potter |
| author_facet | Anne Melissa Potter |
| author_sort | Anne Melissa Potter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article analyzes how Hamilton and 1776 address a similar historical moment to engage history about the “founding” of the United States, and how their different engagements with that history reflect the specific cultural moments in which they occur. This article asks how these musicals use the affordances of the musical to comment on controversial aspects of the “founding” that carry contemporary resonances, both in 1969 and 2015: slavery and the future of the country. The two musicals examine these key problems in American history through differences in “who” interacts with and tells these stories in the musicals. Their responses to these issues are also shaped by the political administrations and contexts in place when they were written. 1776 is more critical of the current political system than Hamilton, but both musicals disrupt traditional historical narratives through music. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-00e5f7a46da6418cbbf988b9c15959f1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-00e5f7a46da6418cbbf988b9c15959f12025-01-06T09:08:21ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362023-02-0118110.4000/ejas.193091776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical TheatreAnne Melissa PotterThis article analyzes how Hamilton and 1776 address a similar historical moment to engage history about the “founding” of the United States, and how their different engagements with that history reflect the specific cultural moments in which they occur. This article asks how these musicals use the affordances of the musical to comment on controversial aspects of the “founding” that carry contemporary resonances, both in 1969 and 2015: slavery and the future of the country. The two musicals examine these key problems in American history through differences in “who” interacts with and tells these stories in the musicals. Their responses to these issues are also shaped by the political administrations and contexts in place when they were written. 1776 is more critical of the current political system than Hamilton, but both musicals disrupt traditional historical narratives through music.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/19309HamiltonSlaveryvoting rights1776Declaration of IndependenceCompromise of 1790 |
| spellingShingle | Anne Melissa Potter 1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre European Journal of American Studies Hamilton Slavery voting rights 1776 Declaration of Independence Compromise of 1790 |
| title | 1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre |
| title_full | 1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre |
| title_fullStr | 1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre |
| title_full_unstemmed | 1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre |
| title_short | 1776 and Hamilton: Comparing “Founding” Histories in Musical Theatre |
| title_sort | 1776 and hamilton comparing founding histories in musical theatre |
| topic | Hamilton Slavery voting rights 1776 Declaration of Independence Compromise of 1790 |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/19309 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annemelissapotter 1776andhamiltoncomparingfoundinghistoriesinmusicaltheatre |