New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Alexander Hamilton

Ron Chernow Wins Empire State Archives and History Award

by Leave a Comment

Ron ChernowPulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow will receive the 2016 Empire State Archives and History Award from the New York State Archives Partnership Trust at a public program on Wednesday, November 2 at 7 pm.

Chernow is the author of Alexander Hamilton, the 2004 biography adapted by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.

The public is invited to hear Chernow speak about his career as an author, biographer and historian with prominent Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. [Read more…] about Ron Chernow Wins Empire State Archives and History Award

Museum of American Finance Adds Audio Tours

by Leave a Comment

hamilton statueLast week the Museum of American Finance launched a 12-stop audio tour of its permanent exhibits. The tour was developed in partnership with Antenna – a multi-media story-telling company – and is narrated by a variety of experts including the Museum’s president and curators, as well as CNN founding financial editor Myron Kandel and architectural historian Damien Cregeau. [Read more…] about Museum of American Finance Adds Audio Tours

New Exhibit Highlights Alexander Hamilton In Albany

by 1 Comment

Portrait of Alexander Hamilton, ca.1810One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), was a brilliant politician-lawyer who served as an indispensable aide to George Washington during and after the American Revolution.

Among his many achievements, Hamilton is credited with creating the financial system of the United States, and was the first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. The current Broadway musical sensation Hamilton has sparked an interest in the man on the $10 bill.

The Albany Institute of History & Art’s new exhibition, Spotlight: Alexander Hamilton, highlights Hamilton’s connections to Albany, New York through personal papers, family heirlooms, historic preservation efforts, and a stunning portrait painted by Albany’s own Ezra Ames (1768—1836). [Read more…] about New Exhibit Highlights Alexander Hamilton In Albany

Hamilton: The Broadway Musical Debuts

by 6 Comments

IMG_2236.JPGLast  Monday I attended the Broadway opening of Hamilton, the musical. I was really looking forward to the event. The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society was out in force.

The opening was particularly auspicious coming one day after the anniversary of Hamilton’s death in 1804. [Read more…] about Hamilton: The Broadway Musical Debuts

Aaron Burr Revised: Conspiracy, Treason and Justice

by 2 Comments

Aaron Burr by John Vanderlyn in 1809. Courtesy of New-York Historical SocietyWho remembers Aaron Burr as anything more than Quick Draw McGraw shooting down the near-sighted Alexander Hamilton at dawn in 1804? But there is much more to the man, as Gore Vidal revealed in his intriguing 1973 historical novel, and other subsequent scholarship.

Two aspects of Burr’s varied career stand out in today’s world. First, his treason trial that closely examined issues of what counts as an act of war against one’s own government. And second, his relationships with a series of highly intelligent and accomplished women, reflecting his high opinion of the female sex and its potential. [Read more…] about Aaron Burr Revised: Conspiracy, Treason and Justice

Hamilton’s Mistress; My Historic Namesake

by 1 Comment

StaatsburghDowntonTour6-2014 (153)In the study of history, a personal connection is often what draws us in to begin to explore a subject, place, or era.  We might be interested in World War II after hearing grandpa’s war stories.  We might begin to read about the Underground Railroad after discovering stations in our hometown.

Making a personal connection with the people we read about and study is a common impulse for history lovers.  It helps make history come alive. This story isn’t about an ancestor, or a history connection to my home town, it’s about a woman with a more unique connection to me, one who shares my name. [Read more…] about Hamilton’s Mistress; My Historic Namesake

The Albany Connections of Burr, Hamilton, and Schuyler

by 10 Comments

Hamilton-burr-duelDuring the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton served as an artillery captain and later a colonel and trusted aid to General George Washington. Colonel Aaron Burr also served in the Colonial Army and accompanied Benedict Arnold on his march through the Maine wilderness and his failed attempt to capture Quebec. Burr had been with General Richard Montgomery when Montgomery was shot and killed in Quebec. Later in the war, Burr was placed in charge of a regiment and his troops were stationed in Westchester County, New York. [Read more…] about The Albany Connections of Burr, Hamilton, and Schuyler

Alexander Hamilton and the Schuylers of Albany

by 1 Comment

The Historians LogoThis week “The Historians” podcast features Heidi Hill of Schuyler Mansion and Albany attorney Richard Bader on Alexander Hamilton’s connections to the Schuylers. Elizabeth Schuyler married Hamilton at her parents’ home in 1780. And Hamilton wrote some of the Federalist Papers in Albany. Listen at “The Historians” online archive at http://www.bobcudmore.com/thehistorians/
[Read more…] about Alexander Hamilton and the Schuylers of Albany

Alexander Hamilton: America’s Savior Redux

by 1 Comment

Hamilton MusicalCan Alexander Hamilton once again ride to the rescue of America? This overblown claim deserves a second look. In previous posts, I examined the impact of the new musical Hamilton in an America with a desperate need for a We the People story that transcends the hyphenization now running rampart in our society.

For Americans, authenticity means being true to the Constitution, an evolving document which was amended in the beginning, throughout American history, and which can be amended again. [Read more…] about Alexander Hamilton: America’s Savior Redux

The Hamilton Musical and America’s Future (Part II)

by 3 Comments

Hamilton MusicalLast week, I described what I think is a significant perilous trend facing history and the American culture through the process of hypehnization. I argued that identity in a society nominally based on We the People and e pluribus unum was being replaced by one where people self-identify as hyphenated Americans, with  corresponding history classes and museums to reflect these differences.

Diversity resonates in New York history. Take William Johnson, the the British royal agent in the 18th century, and an Irishman. His European world consisted of Dutch, French, English, and German (Palatines), all of whom were distinct from each other, as demonstrated for example, by the French and Indian War. [Read more…] about The Hamilton Musical and America’s Future (Part II)