This year, I am taking US history to 1900, and so far, we have learned about the upstart in our country. Being the biggest Hamilton fan, this intrigued me. I was most excited about the background before the musical and wanted a deeper dive into this topic in general. 

If you don’t know who Alexander Hamilton was, “he brought our country from bankruptcy to prosperity,” which led to him being the first ever Secretary of Treasury. More specifically, he was an immigrant from the island of Saint Kitts and Nevis who didn’t throw away his shot at a new life, and if he did- the United States wouldn’t  have the banking system we do now. At 19 years old, he got this far by talking more and smiling less; shockingly, he stated, “Where I come from, some get half as many.” Hamilton was writing his way through life, being one of the Co-authors of The Federalist Papers and contributing 51 out of 85 essays. He was writing so much that people asked him, “Why do you write like you're running out of time?” But unfortunately, he did run out of time when he was killed in a duel against his first friend and rival, Aaron Burr, in 1804. For many generations later, his systems have shaped the way our country works, its money, and banking. 

For the 10-dollar founding father- here are my top favorite hamilton songs:

1. “What Did I Miss” - by Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom, Jr.,& Okieriete Onaodowan 
2. “Guns and Ships” - by Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr.
3. “The Election of 1800” - by Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Okieriete Onaodowan 
4. “One Last time” - by Christopher Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda 
5. “The Room Where It Happens” - by Leslie Odom Jr. 
6. “Non-Stop” - by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Christopher Jackson 
7. “You'll Be Back” - by Jonathan Groff 
8. “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” - by the original broadway cast of Hamilton 
9. “Right Hand Man” - by Christopher Jackson, Leslie Odom Jr., and Lin-Manuel Miranda
10. “Alexander Hamilton” - by Leslie Odom, Jr., Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson, Phillipa Soo, & the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton