- Historically and in the play, Philip died at the age of 19. He lived through 19 songs in the play (Dear Theodosia through Stay Alive [Reprise])
- In his duel with George Eacker, Philip is shot on the count of seven, which is coincidentally the number he changed the melody on during his piano lessons
- “Mom, I’m so sorry for forgetting what you taught me” - perhaps this is a reference to his piano lessons when he was younger. Eliza taught him to count. Philip believes he miscounted, he believes that it was his fault he was shot on what he thought was the count of seven.
- Hamilton died at the age of 47. Including the Laurens Interlude, there are 47 songs in the musical.
- The ensemble member who plays Philip Schuyler, who gives Hamilton his blessing to marry Eliza, also plays James Reynolds, who blackmails Hamilton for sleeping with his wife, Maria.
- The “I know my sister like I know my own mind” line is sung twice by Angelica, once in Satisfied and once in The Reynolds Pamphlet, both with very seperate connotations.
- Hamilton is the first to introduce more intricate, polysyllabic raps (My Shot) as opposed to the simple beats used by Laurens, Mulligan, and Lafayette, showing his intellectual ability and innovation.
- “Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead” is directly followed by Laurens introducing himself.
- Jefferson sings in a jazzy tune because he has been away for so long and therefore missed the transition from jazz to hip hop. However, he quickly adapts as shown in Cabinet Battle #1.
- Lafayette’s increasing grasp on the English language is shown when comparing his verses in Aaron Burr, Sir and Guns and Ships.
- Angelica is the first to sing “look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now”, which Eliza continues to use throughout her life.
- Angelica raps at Hamilton’s speed because she is his intellectual equal. Eliza beatboxes because she supports him.
- “When my prayers to God were met with indifference, I picked up a pen, I wrote my own deliverence”/ “I take the children to church on Sunday, I sign of the cross at the door, and I pray. That never used to happen before”. Philip’s death drove Hamilton to religion, giving him something to rely on other than his words for the first time.
- Eliza doesn’t rap because she is quite literally given the most time, she lives to be 97.
- Not only did Eliza establish the orphanage, she also helped to establish the first school in Washington Heights. Lin could have included the words “in Washington Heights” as a reference to his other musical, but decided against it.
@echo-bleu was kind enough to find me and to help me find some important legal documents connected to La Fayette and his family. Mostly birth-, marriage- and death-certificates. Among these documents is La Fayette’s Acte de Décès (his certificate of death) from May 20, 1834. It is not the original document (since that one was destroyed in a fire) but a reconstruction of the original. Thank you again @echo-bleu for all your help and research!
I attended the changing of the flag ceremony at Lafayette’s tomb in Picpus with the American Friends of Lafayette, who are lovely, lovely people. It was a beautiful ceremony!
Somebody liked this old post (thanks!) and it reminded me…I’m excited to welcome American Friends of Lafayette to a special tour of the museum where I work (I got a new job last month!) after lunch on Jan 31! If you’re in NYC consider becoming an AFL! :)
Who asked you to be their valentine, and who didn’t (thinking that they didn’t have to)?
Nathan Hale did, of course he did! He bought a whole box of those cheesy ones that are supposed to be for elementary students, ones with lots of hearts and funny sayings. He may be out the door before you on Valentines Day, but there are no shortage of cards on every surface of the house. It’s a lovely gesture that even though you need no remember that you are his, it still brings a smile that you can never forget.
Thinking he didn’t have to, because you had already been dating for like a year-Benjamin Tallmagde did not. He insists that he’s already asked you, and you said yes, so he’s already covered his bases. Of course, will still buy you flowers and shake his head laughing at you, wondering where you’ve heard this nonsense that he has to ask every year. However, he will seemingly ask you every following year, just to make sure that he’s still got it right.
Marquis de Lafayette thinks similarly to Benjamin, thinking that you’re already his valentine and he doesn’t have to ask twice. However, he finds the cutest card in a random store one day before the holiday, and he can’t resist the urge to not pick it up for you. He loves the smile it brings to your face, and he can’t help but laugh sweetly as you bob your head yes, accepting his proposal.
Ensign Thomas Baker definitely will ask you every year. It just becomes a sort of annual ritual, pretending that you’ve just met and handing each other homemade cards. It’s just an overall sweet idea that’s caught on, and Baker will surely ask you every year if you’ll do him the honor of being his valentine. You never fail him with the answer.
If you think Alexander Hamilton will, you’ll at least get a good laugh out of him. He’ll ask if you’re joking, and you may be so inclined to yank on his leg a tad. Maybe make him sweat a little bit. You nearly make him believe that how could he forget the most important part of Valentine’s Day, before whipping out a: “sike! Got you!” And running away, Hamilton chasing after. If anything, it was warming to see the worry in his eyes that he had messed up the holiday. (That he scoffed about, saying he didn’t care).
George Washington will not, but you know that there’s no malice behind it. He very well may forget that it’s even Valentine’s Day, but that’s only because he’s suffering behind his desk instead of being home with you. He’ll definitely hear it on the radio or from a co-worker before you ever have the heart to tell him, but he will definitely make it up to you a million ways to one. It’s a Hallmark holiday, and no matter how much you insist it’s no big deal, he’ll at least buy you flowers.
Caleb Brewster does, of course! In the most outlandish way possible, every year he outdoes himself. He’s never one to forget any small detail you share with him, so anytime during the year you mention a new favorite candy, flower, or even accessory, it’s sitting squarely so it’s the first thing you see when you walk through the door. He’ll ask you to be his valentine, forever and always.
SometimesRobert Townsend does. Maybe he’ll say it in a moment of insecurity or in a moment of yours, but usually, he does not. He knows you are his, and he is yours, and overall is the number one guy on this list to find the holiday a hallmark holiday, but if it means a lot to you, then it does to him. Maybe on the simpler side, but he show you just how much he loves and appreciates you, in a way that a card could never share.
Hercules Mulligan does! Sweetly, asks every year if you’ll be his. He’ll definitely buy you roses, and smother you to death with kisses of appreciation and love. You would not have it any other way, genuinely in love with how much love he has to share. Hercules does not care a single iota if he’s already asked you seven times, he’ll ask you twice over if you’ll be his Valentine by the end of the day.
John Adams does not, to any surprise. We aren’t really sure he’s ever asked you, so we can’t qualify him as someone who’s asked you once and thinks it enough. Most definitely working if the holiday falls during the week, and probably will still be shuffling papers if it falls on the weekend. But this comes with the territory—while John loves you with his entire heart, you and him both know that he’s hardly any good at expressing it. He definitely does remember to pick up your favorite takeout on the way home though.
Sam Adams should, could, and would announce to any person in his immediate vicinity that you were his valentine. And maybe you weren’t in that immediate vicinity to catch his rather loud shouts, he’ll come home fast enough to make sure you know, with no doubts, that you are his valentine. He doesn’t even ask. It’s a fact, not a question.
Our lovely Doctor Joseph Warren absolutely does. He will greet you good morning with a sweet kiss and mumble goofily against your lips if you’d be his on this lovely holiday. Warren well and good knows that you are his and he is yours, but he can’t help it when the question makes you laugh, and he gets to see that amazing sparkle in your eyes. Of course, you’ll be his, and not only today, but every hour of every day.
A true coin toss, Paul Revere is a man of mystery that you can’t quite figure out sometimes. You’re half inclined to believe his forgot, but then the other half leads you to believe that he’s just pretending to make you think he forgot. Did he actually forget, we will never know. He will never own up to it, even if he forgets from time to time, and always buys you flowers. Some years, you may be able to tell if he’s forgotten, because he asks you to be his forever and always. (The answer is always yes).
John Hancock…does not. While I am ready to believe that he is this lovey-dovey romantic, I also feel like he would definitely be the first to forget, after Washington and Adams. The kinda “oh shit, that was today?!” Kinda vibe. But Hancock is a very loyal person, and an extremely kind-hearted man, and you know that he’s just got a lot on his plate. He would always be so appreciative of your forgiveness, and while he may never ask you to be his valentine, he definitely knows that he is yours forever.
Although always a willing thief himself, Nathan Hale is hard to surprise. He’s a bad liar, you know that, (you can see the glint in his eye) but he’s always got his guard up. The only way to steal a kiss from Hale is to catch him when he’s come home from work, pouncing on him the minute he’s opened the door and yanking him down by his tie.
Benjamin Tallmagde, a little bit easier to nab a smooch from. He’s sometimes entranced by a book in his free time, and all it really takes is to lean over and steal a few. You’re favorite, however, is leaning over the back of the couch and spider-man kissing him. He jumps, only a bit, but happily returns the gesture.
Don’t talk to George Washington about surprise anything, because he knows your there. He knows that you’ve taken your shoes off and you’re creeping down the hallway to enter his office, with a glimmer of hope in your eye that you’ve startled him. Sometimes, when he wishes for that smile to fall on your lips, he’ll pretend that you’ve got him, as you round his desk chair to plant one on his cheek. He enjoys your laugh.
It’s a little bit harder to figure out how to steal one off Thomas Baker, only because when he’s standing, there’s no way you’re reaching his cheek/lips. (Invest in a step ladder, maybe?). You’ll have to catch him when he’s sitting, or maybe bending down to get something out of a lower cabinet. He always laughs when you steal one, gently pulling you back for another.
Quite possibly the easiest target of all, the Marquis de Lafayette shouts in surprise as you run at him in full force and jump into his arms. He very well should expect this from you, but part of him just can’t ever seem to pick up how you choose these random moments. Once in his arms, you steal a smooch, and try to wrangle out of his grip to run away, but good luck with that. He’s gonna start tickling you.
Caleb Brewster has mastered this game. You’ll be leaving the bathroom and when you close the door over, it’s too late. He’s already there. You’re peripheral vision fails you as he swoops down and steals a kiss straight off your lips. You chase after him, but he’s already gone. Someday you’ll figure out a strategy to get him back, but for now, you’re content with being the receiver.
On the other hand, Robert Townsendacts like he hates this game. He finds himself poking at mounds of blankets when he enters a room, fearful it’s you and you’re bound to startle him. Realizing that he probably hates it, you stop for a bit. Then one day he’s like “why did you stop” and you’re like “???” Bro. So you wait two days and then hide in the pantry. You kissed him real good when he went to put his cereal away.
The ending to a letter George Washington sent to the Marquis de Lafayette. The later sent a letter of his own but never heard back becuase the general passed before he was able to respond. Nothing in Washington’s letter alluded to any ill health.
“Because Washington was childless and drew close to several aides, many biographers have been tempted to turn them into surrogate sons, but the only one who closely matched this description was the Marquis de Lafayette, who eagerly embraced the role. The young French nobleman was tall and slim, with a pale, oval face and thin, reddish-brown hair that receded sharply at the temples. His nose was long and slightly upturned, his mouth short but full-lipped. Like the young Washington, Lafayette had an extraordinary knack for endearing himself to older men, and he looked up to them admiringly. Washington’s fondness for Lafayette’s boyish zest probably expressed some suppressed craving for paternal intimacy. So many things about the younger man—his florid language, his poetic effusions, his transparent ambitions, his well-meaning if clumsy manner—seemed the antithesis of himself. Lafayette was pure-hearted and high-spirited, with an impetuous streak of grandiosity. Where Washington was guarded about his pursuit of fame, Lafayette, Jefferson saw, was always “panting for glory” with an almost “canine appetite for popularity and fame.” Abigail Adams found him too assertive: “He is dangerously amiable, polite, affable, insinuating, pleasing, hospitable, indefatigable, and ambitious.” Indeed, despite a certain shyness, Lafayette showed a courtier’s love of compliments, was a master of flattery, and liked to hug people in the French manner. Perhaps Washington doted on the young man because he dared to express emotions that he himself stifled, thawing his frosty reserve and opening an outlet for his suppressed emotions. Lafayette seemed to transport Washington back to his own youth, before he was stooped under the weight of responsibility, reminding him of love, passion, and chivalry.”
— Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow (via brimmely)
Apothéose de Lafayette (Apotheosis of Lafayette), c. 1834. Etching and engraving.
Washington welcoming Lafayette to the Temple of Eternal Fame. I suspect he’d love this - being greeted by Washington as he’s escorted by a tricolour wielding angel.
