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Section 4: Overview

Historical Accuracy and Artistic License

We will conduct research to investigate and understand how Lin-Manuel Miranda’s interpretation of Alexander Hamilton compares with the way Hamilton is revealed in the primary and secondary sources we read. Our analysis will culminate in a class discussion, during which we will share our opinions and thoughts about Alexander Hamilton—the character in the musical and the real man—through a discussion of the following questions:

  1. To what extent does Lin-Manuel Miranda’s interpretation and portrayal of Hamilton’s character align with how he is represented in the primary and secondary sources you have studied?

  2. How important is it to be historically accurate when creating art that is based on a real person or event?

  • Lesson 1:

    We will begin our study of the question, “How does Lin-Manuel Miranda’s interpretation of Alexander Hamilton compare with the Hamilton revealed in the primary and secondary sources?” We will focus on synthesizing our work from Sections 2 and 3 to create a detailed characterization of Alexander Hamilton. While doing this work, we will think about the answer to one of our first guiding questions: Who is Alexander Hamilton? We will introduce the section by reviewing the Central Question and Framing Questions.

  • Lesson 2:

    We will continue our study of the following question: How does Lin-Manuel Miranda’s interpretation of Alexander Hamilton compare with the Hamilton revealed in the primary and secondary sources? We will also begin to think about our responses to the question, “How important is it to be historically accurate when creating art that is based on a real person or event?” To prepare, we will read The New York Times article “Hamilton and History: Are They in Sync?”

  • Lesson 3:

    We will examine the following question: How important is it to be historically accurate when creating art that is based on a real person or event? We will read the article “In Defense of Hamilton.” While reading, we will focus on the reasons and evidence the author uses to support his claim. Then, we will prepare for the Section Diagnostic.

  • Lesson 4:

    We will conduct a class discussion in which we share our opinions and thoughts about Alexander Hamilton and Miranda’s interpretation of him.

  • Lesson 5:

    We will review the teacher’s feedback on our Section Diagnostic and will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 6:

    We will share the understanding we have gained through our independent reading and continue to read our texts.