Hamilton and the Law: Reading Today's Most Contentious Legal Issues through the Hit Musical

by Lisa A Tucker (Editor)

Since its Broadway debut, Hamilton: An American Musical has infused itself into the American experience: who shapes it, who owns it, who can rap it best. Lawyers and legal scholars, recognizing the way the musical speaks to some of our most complicated constitutional issues, have embraced Alexander Hamilton as the trendiest historical face in American civics. Hamilton and the Law offers a revealing look into the legal community's response to the musical, which continues to resonate in a country still deeply divided about the reach of the law. A star-powered cast of legal minds―from two former U.S. solicitors general to leading commentators on culture and society―contribute brief and engaging magazine-style articles to this lively book. Intellectual property scholars share their thoughts on Hamilton 's inventive use of other sources, while family law scholars explore domestic violence. Critical race experts consider how Hamilton furthers our understanding of law and race, while authorities on the Second Amendment discuss the language of the Constitution's most contested passage. Legal scholars moonlighting as musicians discuss how the musical lifts history and law out of dusty archives and onto the public stage. This collection of minds, inspired by the phenomenon of the musical and the Constitutional Convention of 1787, urges us to heed Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Founding Fathers and to create something new, daring, and different.

Genres: Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2020

Reviews

[✿ Mika ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Cornell University Press for sending me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Couldn't help but finish this one in one sitting-- Hamilton and the Law was interesting, informative, and beautifully written. As someone who has never been to America, this book has helped me gain an in depth understanding of one of the most indispensable founding fathers of the country and gain a different perspective on the constitutional issues. As a huge Hamilton fan, reading this was incredibly intriguing and exciting.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some entries were phenomenal and very educational. Others were abysmal - especially the one which implied that Star Wars had nothing to do with politics.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to start by listing the good parts of this book : On the one hand, it was very interesting, and it showed me sides of the musical that, even with all of the discourse I read on various platforms (... Fine, on Tumblr), I didn't consider.

Also, even though the level of familiarity with the US legal system needed to understand this book varied from essay to essay, it was clear enough for me (I did take a few classes for which I did some research on the US government, and those did help a lot, especially since I'm French).

Now for the more negative parts. There were lots of repetitions, which can be expected in a collection of essays by different authors, but what made me sigh the most was the amount of Hamilton quotes. Now, this is a petty critic, since it is a book about Hamilton, but it was a bit much, especially since a lot of them were the same being quoted over and over again. Yes, I do love Hamilton also, and I do know it by heart. I get the reference. (Honestly it may be what appeals to other people, again, I'm being petty).

Another consequence of it being a collection by different authors was that some of the essays contradicted each other, which would be fine (and the point of the collection) if it only applied to the opinions being discussed, but also to the history itself. One example that I noted was that one essay made the point that only a specific category of people could immigrate to the US in the 18th century (namely WASPs), and the next said that actually, there were no laws and anyone could come, free for all entry! Anyway, it was just something that made it confusing to read.

I did like that the essays were organized by themes, because some themes were definitely more engaging than others (no offense to copyright lawyers, you're doing an important job, I just. Couldn't deal.) and if readers want to read essays only relating to a theme, they don't have to sort them out themselves.

To conclude, I'm definitely glad that I read it, even though I had some problems with it, because some aspects were illuminating, not only for the musical, but also for real-life history. My only regret is that I didn't have this book when I was debating my English Politics/Economics teacher in college, because it would have provided me with way better arguments than I had back then.

[Rae's Reading Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I found the concept of the book really interesting, and I liked how we could see the different views of everyone who contributed to the collection. For someone with limited knowledge on American Law (I'm from Ireland so it was a wild experience), many of the essays were written so they were quite easy to digest and understand.

Of course, I did notice there were some moments when there was clashing with some of the essays but as I said previously it all comes back to the different perspectives and research done by those people. At some times I found that the musical was quoted at times that wasn't necessary or had perhaps too long a quote where it could have been shortened and just as useful. I obviously love the musical, which was what first brought me to requesting this arc but when the same quotes are added and some for no reason, ie not backing up points the author is making, I just thought they could have been left out.

Some sections were more enjoyable and engaging than others but with collections of stories or, in this case, essays, it is the luck of the draw and every person might be drawn to different topics that are brought up.

[Dan Cotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book, using the hit musical to address legal issues throughout our history and especially today. Some leading legal experts included.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing I liked in this book is the multiple perspective provided by the contributors about Hamilton, the musical and Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers.

It made me curious to read more about American history.