The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

U.Va. alumna’s research inspired song in Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’

Freeman’s research on dueling informed acclaimed musical

<p>Freeman's research inspired the song "Ten Duel Commandments" in the "Hamilton" musical.&nbsp;</p>

Freeman's research inspired the song "Ten Duel Commandments" in the "Hamilton" musical. 

University alumna Joanne Freeman’s research on political combat and dueling served as a historical sounding board in the hit Broadway musical ‘Hamilton.’

Freeman, who currently teaches at Yale University, is an expert in early American history and has studied Alexander Hamilton extensively. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees at the University, studying under the guidance of History Prof. Emeritus Peter Onuf.

During her time at the University, Freeman focused her dissertation on political combat during the early American period. This led her to further study Alexander Hamilton, who was mortally wounded in a duel with political rival Aaron Burr.

“I had [always] been interested in Hamilton, but that got me interested in bigger things — I got interested in dueling, and then got interested in the politics that lead to dueling and then I was interested in American politics, so Hamiton kind of started the train of events,” Freeman said.

“My dissertation at U.Va. was about the grammar or logic of engaging in political combat at the time on the national stage.”

While at the University, Freeman served as a teaching assistant for Onuf, helping him in teaching the course “The Age of Jefferson and Hamilton.” Freeman prepared a course reading of Hamilton’s writings for this course, which would later become the documents she provided to Lin-Manuel Miranda, playwright of “Hamilton.”

“To support that course, Joanne assembled Hamilton documents into a course reader, and that course reader eventually became the Library of America edition of Hamilton writings that Joanne edited,” Onuf said.

Freeman said her research made its way to Miranda through the help of a friend, who tweeted at Miranda about Freeman’s research. Freeman was then able to provide him with Hamilton’s writing assembled for the course reader, with Miranda also incorporating research from her dissertation-turned-book, “Affairs of Honor.”

“I had heard that somewhere out there was a playwright working on a musical about Alexander Hamilton, and I didn't really know of him or whether a musical about Hamilton would be good, but I thought at least Hamilton’s own words should be in the show,” Freeman said. “Now this isn't saying Lin-Manuel Miranda couldn't have found the letters on his own, but I needed to know that he had the letters.”

While attending the musical, Freeman realized her research was incorporated in dueling scenes, such as the number “Ten Duel Commandments.” Freeman said Miranda later confirmed he indeed used her research and book, “Affairs of Honor,” to inform the play.

“The nitty gritty details of the duel, that was Joanne’s work and is universally accepted by historians,” Onuf said.

Freeman said although “Hamilton” is not entirely historically accurate, the play captures the mood of the period while humanizing the Founding Fathers.

“[‘Hamilton’] gets at the mood of that moment and the improvisational nature of that moment … and in doing that, it's getting people interested in that time period and humanizing that time period, and that the founders were real people with good sides and bad sides,” Freeman said. “As far as the play goes, I’d really love people to walk away from it thinking, ‘wow that really grabbed me, let me go out and read some history books and figure out the truth, which is not boring.’”

According to Onuf, putting the past into a musical context piques audiences’ interests in history.

“What we need to do is have a genuine interest in the past that reflects historical realities,” Onuf said. “Arousing a whole generation to take the founding period seriously is very refreshing.”

Comments

Latest Podcast

The University’s Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment and Undergraduate Admission, Greg Roberts, provides listeners with an insight into how the University conducts admissions and the legal subtleties regarding the possible end to the consideration of legacy status.



https://open.spotify.com/episode/02ZWcF1RlqBj7CXLfA49xt