![]() This song is the opening number for the musical that introduces the character of Hamilton to the audience and is a classic immigration story. The song “Alexander Hamilton” is a good example of how our patriarchal and problematic founding fathers can be an inspiration for a nation. At the end of his review of Taylor’s book, Wood ends with this questions: “can a revolution conceived mainly as sordid, racist and divisive be the inspiration for a nation?” Yes, it can be and a good example of it is Hamilton. Wood points out that Taylor’s book states that “the revolution worked against blacks, Indians, and women.” America is no longer a land for all in his perspective, but for the select few who possess the privilege to make it in this land. But by including other culture’s narratives into the story, the values that Americans have possessed for centuries after the American Revolution comes into question. Taylor paints the wider frame of the American Revolution and addresses the groups that are usually ignored. He asserts that Taylor’s book is a more holistic perspective of the American Revolution by his inclusion of other cultures’ accounts and perspectives. Gordon Wood discussed, in his article “How the American Revolution Worked Against Blacks, Indians, and Women,” about Alan Taylor’s book, American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804. Taverns were where the charge for independence began to take form. Carp uses an example where a group would meet at Drake’s tavern daily and nightly to discuss plans. In the words of Carp: “Taverns brought together a broad array of white men and made them feel equal to any army officer, merchant, or member of Parliament or the Assembly.” (97) Furthermore, it was a center for British opposition groups to meet. The social environment that resulted from these places empowered people to demand a better life and to make a name for themselves. People spouted their political opinions, demanded petitions to be signed, or chatted about their days. It was like the Facebook of the revolutionary era. Taverns were a place for public gatherings it was where people would go to get some social interactions. ![]() A huge factor was the accessibility of taverns and how people from a diverse could interact with each other. As discussed by Benjamin Carp in Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution, New York taverns played a big part in creating an infrastructure to which groups could be mobilized.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |