preview

Alexander Hamilton Stereotypes

Decent Essays

Hamilton the Musical is a musical that has defied the standard stereotypes of various ethnic groups by putting them in a position of power. There are many stereotypes of people of color that have existed for hundreds of years. The main stereotype is Sambo. This is the stereotype of a simple minded, docile African American. These people were not seen to be in a position of power. This musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton - one of the founding fathers of the United States of America- who was an immigrant from the Caribbean. It is important to note that the creator of the musical is Lin Manuel Miranda. Miranda plays Alexander Hamilton and he is Latino. This tale takes place in the late 1700s and the early 1800s. Now, if history class has taught me anything about this time period, it’s that the men in this story were …show more content…

This musical goes against all three of those statements. The people that are all caucasian in historical reality are reimagined as people of color in this musical. “Hamilton” deals with a wide array of issues that were present in both the 1700s and the 2000s including immigration. This non traditional telling of Alexander Hamilton is “about America then told by America now.”

Hamilton the Musical presents problems in today’s society through subtext and allusion. Hamilton has arrived at the most convenient of times - the Syrian Immigration Crisis. Immigration has, and will continue to have, a great impact on our society and politics in the United States. Throughout the show, Alexander Hamilton reminds the audience that he is an immigrant. He and Marquis de Lafayette proclaim, “Immigrants, we get the job done,” proudly in the first act. The purpose of these many references to immigrants is to show how much they have helped shape our country over the past few hundred years. The true brilliance of

Get Access