Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Nonreligious
On Washington’s Birthday: A New Appreciation for the Founding Father

On Washington’s Birthday: A New Appreciation for the Founding Father

Last updated on: February 22, 2018 at 1:35 pm by ScientologyBeliefs

On Washington’s Birthday: A New Appreciation for the Founding Father 2018-02-22T13:35:44-08:00 ScientologyBeliefs

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A generation of American youngsters is gaining a new respect for the Revolutionary War hero and the first POTUS, George Washington, through the Broadway phenomenon Hamilton that has brought the birth of America to life. An article by Wayne D’Orio on the Education Next website describes the collaboration between Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

_____________

Hamilton Goes to High School

How students are learning U.S. history from the hottest show on Broadway

Wayne D’Orio joined EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the Hamilton Project on the EdNext Podcast.

Students waiting outside the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City.

It’s 10 o’clock on a Wednesday morning at New York City’s Richard Rodgers Theatre, and the buzz in the house is palpable. The matinee of Hamilton, the acclaimed musical about the “10-dollar founding father without a father,” won’t start for four hours, but the audience of 11th-grade students is ready. While most of the play’s actors aren’t even in the building yet, the show is about to begin.

Backstage a group of about 35 high schoolers take selfies, warm up their voices, and pace. They are getting ready to mount the same stage where the play that won 11 Tony Awards is presented eight times a week. In a flash, Okieriete Onaodowan, the actor who plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, appears in the wings.

“EduHam” is on.

Long before the play about the nation’s first treasury secretary opened in February 2015, its creator, writer, and star Lin-Manuel Miranda knew his work would be useful for teachers. That’s because before Hamilton won a Pulitzer, a Grammy, and all those Tonys, before its cast album was streamed a half billion times on Spotify alone, before the top ticket prices soared to a Broadway record $849, Miranda debuted the show’s first song, “Alexander Hamilton,” at the White House Poetry Jam in 2009.

When video of the four-and-a-half-minute performance hit YouTube, the number-one comment posted was, “My teacher showed us this in APUSH,” Miranda told Newsweek, using the acronym for the AP U.S. History class.

So six years later, when the play first opened at the Public Theater, Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow invited Lesley S. Herrmann, then executive director of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, to be his guest at the show. The two had common interests. It was Chernow’s 818-page biography of Hamilton that had kindled Miranda’s interest in the material and that became the inspiration for the hit musical. Gilder Lehrman, based in New York City, is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting history education.

As soon as the stage went dark that night, Herrmann turned to Chernow and said, “We have to get this into the hands of kids.”

Long before Hamilton opened, its creator, writer, and star Lin-Manuel Miranda knew his work would be useful for teachers.

Students Onstage

Fast-forward to that Wednesday morning at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, in November 2016.

Lulu Rivera, a junior at the Harvey Milk High School,

As the students look over their material and emcee Onaodowan goes onstage to welcome the audience, Lulu Rivera stands by himself. The Harvey Milk High School junior will perform a spoken-word piece about Hamilton’s best friend, John Laurens. Rivera based his piece on the long, intimate letters the two wrote to each other. Clad spectacularly in black and wearing a pair of platform boots, Rivera says, “I tried to dress like history, but mostly like Prince.”

During his performance, he’ll earn solid applause from the 1,300 students in the audience. But the most raucous reception will be saved for the rock-’em, sock-’em performance of Traci Ann Pauda and Madeline Ferraris from the Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre. The duo portray Hamilton’s wife, Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler, and his mistress, Maria Reynolds, locked in a fight over their man, swapping insults and even shoves as the crowd hoots its approval.

Later in the program, after another group of students trade invectives in a rap battle, Onaodowan comes onstage and jokes to the audience, “That hurt my feelings. I know they were acting, but …”

The student performances are the capstone of their participation in EduHam—officially known as the Hamilton Project—an in-class history curriculum based on Hamilton. After their presentations, the students will participate in a “talkback” session with members of Hamilton’s cast, break for lunch, and then return to watch the matinee performance of the play.

During 2016–17, its pilot year in the New York Public Schools, the education program has become almost as successful as the play itself. As it wraps up its first year, the program will bring 20,000 11th graders to the 46th Street theater to perform and to see the play; that’s one out of every four juniors in the nation’s largest school district. EduHam expanded to Chicago in February 2017, and it followed the touring company when the play opened in San Francisco in March.

The total number of students served at the end of the school year will be more than 35,000, says Sasha Rolon Pereira, the director of Gilder Lehrman’s Hamilton Project.

“In the next four years, we will reach 100,000 kids in 50 to 100 cities,” adds James G. Basker, Gilder Lehrman’s president.

The full article is available online at the EducationNext website.

holidays

education

George Washington's Birthday

Hamilton

Lin Manuel Miranda

Previous Post

February 22, 2018

Want to Find Out What Scientology Is? Talk to a Scientologist

Next Post

February 22, 2018 Do Aliens Believe in Scientologists?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category anti-Scientology hate Church of Scientology Citizens Commission on Human Rights Community activities conflict Coronavirus critics David Miscavige Dianetics Discrimination Documentary Showcase Drug Prevention fake news families Florida Foundation for a Drug-Free World Freewinds religious retreat holidays Hollywood Village homeschooling kids during the coronavirus lockdown How I Became a Scientologist human rights I Am a Scientologist Ideal Scientology Organizations Interfaith L. Ron Hubbard media Meet a Scientologist Neighborhood Cleanups Psychiatry Religion Religious Freedom Religious Studies Scientologist Scientologists Scientology Scientology Beliefs Scientology cathedral Scientology celebration Scientology Humanitarian Campaigns Scientology Media Productions Scientology Mission Scientology Network Scientology Parent Scientology TV Scientology Volunteer Ministers STAND Stay Well The Way to Happiness tolerance Truth About Scientology Uncategorized Voices for Humanity What is Scientology? What Scientology is all a out Youth for Human Rights

Select a Month March 2025 October 2024 July 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 September 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 February 2016 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 December 2013 August 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Hebrew word 'El Shaddai' mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God The Lord is my Shepherd Everlasting Father Holy One