'Hamilton': Broadway musical divides Internet over claims that founding father was a slave owner and trader
'Hamilton', the stage-to-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical is releasing on Disney Plus, and the excitement in the air is palpable. Fans are excited to see the story of the founding father of America, sung in rap. Alexander Hamilton is said to have brought about the American Revolution and was the nation's first secretary of the treasury, the co-author (with James Madison) of The Federalist Papers and strongly advocated federal government over state government.
He demanded a National Bank, created the national reserve as well as the national debt and laid the foundations for the US' economic success. However, his life came to an end after an unsuccessful duel with the third US Vice-President, Aaron Burr. In 2015, Hamilton was brought to life again by Lin-Manuel Miranda and became something of a cultural phenomenon.
While most fans are excited to see the film, others have their reservations. "LOL 'BOYCOTT DISNEY' HAMILTON bought and sold BLACK SLAVES," a fan wrote. "Hamilton did side with abolitionists in later years and even aided in the slave revolt in Haiti. In 1785 in New York, he and John Jay founded the New York Society, an anti-slavery organization. It was his agrarian southern adversaries the Democratic-Republicans that owned slaves," another wrote.
"You know Hamilton bought and sold slaves, don't you?" one wrote. "Cultural appropriation is easy. It's okay that Hamilton owned slaves as long as he does a funky rippity rap white Puertorican," another tweeted. "Alexander Hamilton was a slave owner and slave trader. @disneyplus is complicit in slavery," a fan tweeted. "From the Harvard Gazette: Hamilton bought and sold slaves for his in-laws, and opposing slavery was never at the forefront of his agenda. “He was not a champion of the little guy, like the show portrays. He was elitist," another wrote.
"If you’re watching Hamilton this weekend try to think about how Jefferson and Washington both owned slaves and are both portrayed by Black men — along with the fact that most of the founding fathers (and their wives) did not care about Black lives at all," one wrote. Some fans, however, fiercely defended the film. "bruh if you cant separate the musical Hamilton from the actual history, and go on to tell people 'uHm HaMiLtOn GlOrIfIeS sLaVe OwNeRs!!!'... you're dumber than a f**king rock it's not glorifying anything if you take it that wat that's on YOU and YOUR bullsh*t narrative," a fan tweeted.
Others dug deep into their history knowledge to prove that Hamilton was not part of any slave trade. "The only time that Alexander Hamilton worked in any type of 'slave trade' was when he was part of the trading charter in St Croix when he was an orphan trying to support himself and his brother. He never even owned slaves. He was an abolitionist," another wrote.
Well, Twitter is engaged in a furious debate on the founding father, with some slamming him, the musical as well as Disney Plus, while others defend it with all their might. 'Hamilton' releases on Disney Plus today, July 3.