Back in January 2017 I wrote a post about Alexander Hamilton. I interspersed what I wrote with a few lyrics from the musical, when appropriate, to spice things up. The Library has taken that idea – not that I think my post was the genesis for the idea – one step further.
In Letters from Lyrics, on display from May 19 to August 21, the Library of Congress will pull items from its collection of Alexander Hamilton papers. The display will coincide with the musical’s stop at the Kennedy Center and is part of a citywide series of exhibitions.
These items will offer “a glimpse at the original source material for key themes and lyrics in the hit musical Hamilton.” According to the press release, the display will include James Madison’s copy of The Federalist Papers, as well as:
Hamilton’s writings on the Revolutionary War, the formation of the U.S. Constitution, his role as treasury secretary, his correspondence with the Schuyler sisters, including his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and his fatal duel with Aaron Burr.
If you want to explore Hamilton’s papers on your own, the Library has digitized its collection and made them available at loc.gov/hamilton. And if you want to know more about the display itself, read the press release and our May/June issue of the Library of Congress Magazine.
UPDATE! Good news, the Hamilton display has been extended to September 17.
Comments
I began teaching a course entitled “Hamilton: Misery, Money and Music” with this idea in mind at the OLLI Learning Center of UConn last fall. The show gas been a great teaching tool.