Hamilton: An American Story of Female Empowerment?
We have never, as a society given women their just due. And we still don’t. Here, I’ll explain.
I found out last week that I accidentally had Disney+. So naturally, that means two things: I have been forced to overhear the Suite Life of Zach and Cody theme song all week on repeat AND society has forced me to sing from the rooftops about how much I love Hamilton: An American Musical. I have to admit, I loved it. But while the entire world is trying to “out-Hamilton-STAN” each other, I can’t get over one aspect of the 3 hour play that struck me. In the final five minutes we learn the legacy of Alexander Hamilton was championed and preserved by Mrs. Hamilton. She lived 50 years after his death and was, among other things, an impactful supporter of orphaned children in New York City.
What? Excuse me?
That was a little glazed-over. I mean, doesn’t that make her the most important character of this story? Let’s recap his life as it relates to her. They meet, they marry, he possibly pines for her sister, he is a philanderer, he’s a workaholic and distant, he supports his son’s duel, he loses his own life in an illegal duel, leaving her destitute to raise the entire family by herself without his income. Hmmmm. Is the Hamilton story really about a bunch of impetuous, power-mad men dueling each other for reasons such as pride and jealousy and hubris, while the women make a lasting impact on society in the 50 years after their husband’s kick?
To find this answer I needed to investigate. It turns out Mrs. Hamilton was left widowed and relatively poor after losing her husband and eldest son. She was forced off her land, moved into a townhouse in New York City, began supporting orphaned children, and spent 42 years raising money; helping educate the over 700 orphans.
But wait there’s more. She was wholly responsible for championing Alexander’s writings beyond the Federalist Papers. She collected over 22,000 letters he wrote and helped synthesize his thoughts and policies into History of the Republic of the United States America, as Traced in the Writings of Alexander Hamilton and his Contemporaries. There would literally not be a play without her.
I’m not done. She lived to be 97 (in the early to mid 1800s, no less) and continued to bolster her husband’s legacy — even demanding apologies from President Monroe for not properly recognizing her husband’s legacy.
Alexander Hamilton goes down in history as one of the most powerful men behind the scenes in the early days of the new republic, but how does he get there without the endless promotion of his wife?
The Hamilton story is really about the undying love of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and her devotion to preserving her husband’s legacy. While this statement is somewhat hyperbole, it brings up a couple of themes I am interested in exploring in my work — the unsung role of women and the importance of people championing others in their work.
While I am not an expert on gender roles in society, I feel it’s safe to say that while men can be prone to a conquering mentality, women are often left behind to “mind the nest” so to speak. In Hamilton’s case, Alexander may be the one history remembers, but his wife Eliza had the children, dealt with the aftermath of his senseless, self-actualized death, picked up the pieces, raised his children, replaced him as the breadwinner, championed his legacy, and gave tirelessly back to society for the next 50 years. Now which one should we REALLY be remembering?
And if we still are not convinced, let me also point out that for every great doer in this world, there is also the person that “champions” that doer. In every walk of life, an artist needs promotion to become recognized. Take any walk of life. The architect needs the builder, the surfer needs the surfing photographer, the artist needs the manager, and in my line of work, the innovator needs the investor.
The story of Hamilton really hammered those two points home to me in very clear terms. It left me thinking about how unsung the traditional role that a woman plays in a family really is, especially in the case of a husband dying young. And it made me realize that greatness requires championing in order for it to be recognized.
In my work I am committed to listening to the female perspective and I realize my role is to champion others. I aspire to be like Eliza Hamilton.
