If you know something about Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, is that he is a rather obsessive reader. He did his homework when it came to the Alexander Hamilton story, reviewing Ron Chernow’s biography of the Founding Father while on vacation in Mexico. But even the most beloved works of historical fiction are still fiction, and not everything you will see in the Broadway musical (now on Disney +) will ring true.
For example, you love the Schuyler sisters from their eponymous song, but how much of what Angelica narrates really happened? This was hundreds of years ago; Was Eliza’s love for Alexander as nuanced as we see it on stage? And Peggy? What happened to her?
Here’s a look at freedoms. Hamilton Take with the sisters, and why the show is, however, a testament to their history.
Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy were not Schuyler’s only daughters.
In “Satisfied,” Angelica sings, “My father has no children, so it is I who have to socially climb for one,” which justifies his need to marry the wealthy (and therefore not marry Alexander without money).
But this line is, in fact, totally false and is probably included for narrative convenience. Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy were three of the five sisters who lived to adulthood, along with Cornelia and Catharine Schuyler. Her parents, Catharine Van Rensselaer Schuyler and Philip Schuyler, also had three children who lived to adulthood: John Bradstreet Schuyler, Philip Jeremiah Schuyler, and Rensselaer Schuyler. The couple had 15 children in total, although only the previous eight survived childhood.
Penguin Books
However, it is true that Angelica might want a spouse with more influence and worldly experience than Alexander. Describe a taxpayer to the Hudson River Maritime Museum Blog, “The power of an adult woman came from the influence she had on her spouse, and the influence she had on the next generation through the training of her children. As such, in the early 1700s, 93% of women in the Northeast were married. ”
The Schuyler family was not as progressive as Hamilton could make them appear.
Philip J. Schuyler, father of Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy, was a Revolutionary War general, American senator, and businessman, well liked and respected by his community. But he was also a prominent slave owner who believed that abolition was too big of an inconvenience for slave owners.
As Ian Mumpton wrote for the official blog of the Schuyler Mansion state historical site, “Philip Schuyler had little interest in the abolition outside of political capital that would be won as more and more politicians embraced the idea (in theory, if not in their daily lives) … Even at the time of his death in In November 1804, at least seven people, including three children, were still working as slaves on their farm in Albany. ”
In recent weeks, this controversy has led Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan to order the removal of a statue of the general in front of Albany City Hall, according to the Times Union.
Angelica was not the only girl from Schuyler who eloped.
In fact, it would seem that desperate romanticism (and rebellion) ran in the DNA of the Schuylers. Yes, Angelica eloped and moved abroad with her husband, while Hamilton represents but according to the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, a total of four Schuyler children chose to elope.
Catherine, Philip Jeremiah and Cornelia also eloped, with Cornelia’s husband writing: “She jumped out of a two-story window into my arms and abandoned everything [sic] for me it gave the most convincing proof of what a husband wants more [sic] to know that his wife loves him. “
Eliza and Alexander actually met two years before the “Helpless” dance.
Although Hamilton describes the love of Eliza and Alexander as almost instantaneous, that was not the case. The famous night party when Alexander and Eliza meet, as shown in “Helpless”, actually took place actually. But it wasn’t the first time the duo met.
According to BiographyThey met two years earlier at Schuyler’s house in Albany, possibly due to the mutual political connections of Philip Schuyler and Alexander. It was at the party of 1780 that Eliza and Alexander reconnected, provoked a courtship, and married shortly after.
There was definitely a real chemistry between Alexander and Angelica, although Angelica’s true feelings remain unknown.
On that same fateful night in the Broadway musical, Angelica is shown introducing Alexander to Eliza, and then regretting not taking him for herself. But in reality, she didn’t introduce the two of them, nor could she have married Alexander anyway. On the night of that party, she was already married to John Church, with whom he shared two small children.
Still, that didn’t stop him from flirting with his brother-in-law. The two mills coincide regularly, with biographer Chernow observing“It is hard to escape the impression that Hamilton’s life was sometimes a curious ménage à trois with two sisters who were only a year apart.” He added: “The attraction between Hamilton and Angelica was so powerful and obvious that many people assumed they were lovers.”
Although there is no concrete evidence that the two have had an affair, they stayed close to their marriage and career. Chernow wrote“When Eliza reluctantly bowed to the social demands of Hamilton’s career, Angelica applauded her ambitions and was always hungry for news of her latest political exploits.”
But Alexander and Peggy were also close.
Perhaps the most sloppy relationship in Hamilton is that between Peggy and Alexander. Although she gets the least screen / stage time out of the top three sisters (aside from her other absent sisters, of course), in real life, she was a prominent ally of politicians. They were so close, in fact, that Alexander was on Peggy’s deathbed. when she died at 42. He was as wickedly brilliant as Angelica, and even shared much of her sister’s brilliant social understanding: She was apparently a “dinner and ball favorite,” according to New York Times bestselling author LM Elliott who wrote a book about Alexander and Peggy’s friendship.
Katherine Tegen Books
Peggy was also one of Hamilton’s most platonic relationships. Elliott continued: “Peggy was a friend, perhaps the only woman in Hamilton’s life with whom she was not engaged. double meaning. Lots of loving jokes, yes, but a lot from an older brother who meets a younger sister with a strong and lively character. “
Eliza and Alexander had several children besides Philip.
The only Hamilton child we meet in the musical is Philip, the eldest son who later dies during a duel, mysteriously foreshadowing the death of his own father at the hands of Aaron Burr. Focusing on Philip might lead some viewers to forget that Eliza and Alexander had eight children in total: Philip Hamilton, Angelica Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton Jr., James Alexander Hamilton, John Church Hamilton, William Stephen Hamilton, Eliza Hamilton Holly and another Philip Hamilton, born after Philip’s death.
In fact, Eliza was so often pregnant that Angelica often joined Alexander at social events instead of her sister, according to the American National Biography. Alexander also adopted Fanny Antil, “daughter of a fellow revolutionary war veteran.”
Eliza, in fact, helped keep Alexander’s legacy alive.
After Alexander’s death, near the end of Hamilton We see Eliza pick up where she left off, using her letters and connections to build an orphanage and a legacy. “Without his devotion to organizing his documents, Hamilton could easily have been relegated to the trash of the political scandal or the tangential founding fathers.” Elliott explained.
For almost half a century after her husband’s death, Eliza compiled her writings, compiled documents from other federalists, and defended her husband’s reputation against his critics, including the argument that he was the author of George Washington’s “Farewell Address” . according to ANB. It is largely due to Eliza (and her sisters) that Hamilton it’s on your screens today.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported into this page to help users provide their email addresses. You can find more information about this and similar content on piano.io
This comment section is created and maintained by a third party, and imported into this page. You may be able to find more information on their website.
