Lin-Manuel Miranda's which includes 46 songs - and resulted in Hamilton making its Broadway debut in 2015. Miranda's reinvention of Hamilton's story and the hours of musical numbers made Hamilton a sensation.
Due to the popularity of the original stage production, Miranda filmed performances of Hamilton in 2016. He hoped that a version of Hamilton with the original cast would eventually be released and allow a wider audience to experience his work, instead of the limited collection of people who managed to get one of the in-demand (and expensive) tickets. It was announced in early 2020 that Disney bought the rights for Hamilton and planned to put the phenomenon in theaters in 2021. However, Hamilton's release plans changed during the coronavirus pandemic and saw the musical begin streaming on Disney+.
While many might be vaguely familiar with Alexander Hamilton's story, one of the several changes Miranda made with Hamilton was Hercules Mulligan, who never had portraits made.
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton is the lead character in Hamilton, with Lin-Manuel Miranda playing one of America's Founding Fathers. After serving George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, Hamilton became the Secretary of the Treasury and founded the nation's financial system. He was later fired by President John Adams and spurned his political career with his response and the release of the Reynolds Pamphlet. Following his endorsement of Thomas Jefferson for president, he was killed by Aaron Burr during a duel in 1804.
Eliza Hamilton
Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, played by Phillipa Soo in Hamilton, was born into a wealthy family in 1757. She married Alexander Hamilton in the early 1780s and soon after gave birth to their first child, Philip. She and Alexander had seven children in total before he died. Eliza continued to defend Alexander after his death and eventually founded the first private New York orphanage in honor of her husband. She helped raise funds for the Washington Monument, too, before ing away in 1854.
Angelica Schuyler
Angelica Schuyler is the older sister of Eliza and is played by Renée Elise Goldsberry in the Hamilton musical. The play says she was interested in Alexander before Eliza married him, although Hamilton's actual relationship with Angelica isn't quite so cut and dried. The two stayed in touch even after she went to live in England and married John Barker Church. Angelica also had a friendship with Thomas Jefferson when he was stationed in Paris. She returned to America permanently in 1799 and died in 1814.
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr is another one of America's Founding Fathers. Leslie Odom Jr plays Burr in Hamilton, which begins with Burr meeting Hamilton when he is still learning law. Burr served as an officer in the Revolutionary War and then returned to studying law in 1779. He went on to establish a political career for himself in the next five years, as he became the Attorney General of New York, a senator, and eventually the vice president to Thomas Jefferson. His career fell apart piece by piece after he killed Hamilton.
George Washington
George Washington, the military leader and first President of the United States, is played by Christopher Jackson in Hamilton. Washington's military career began with the French and Indian War, which gave him the experience to help lead America's revolution. He was elected as America's first president in 1789 and served a second term despite his initial plans to retire. He left the position in 1797 and spent the last two years of his life in Mount Vernon.
Thomas Jefferson
Daveed Diggs plays Thomas Jefferson, another one of America's Founding Fathers and writers of the Declaration of Independence, in Hamilton. The American diplomat served as the United States Minister to from 1785 to 1789, which is when he returned to America to be Washington's Secretary of State. Jefferson clashed with Hamilton during this time but climbed the political ranks to be John Adams' vice president and then became America's third president. He served two before refocusing his attention on education until he died in 1826.
Marquis de Lafayette
Lafayette, also played by Diggs, is a Frenchman who traveled to America as a young man to fight in the American Revolutionary War. He helped lead the Battle of Yorktown and then went back to after America was free. Lafayette was then at the forefront of the French Revolution in 1789 and the July Revolution in 1830. He advocated to end slavery and served multiple roles within 's political system before he died in 1834.
James Madison
Okieriete Onaodowan plays James Madison in Hamilton. Madison is one of America's Founding Fathers who helped write the Constitution and the Bill of Rights after the American revolution. He then became a congressman in 1789 and served in Congress until he became the Secretary of State under Jefferson. Madison later became America's fourth president and served two before he retired and then died in 1836.
John Laurens
John Laurens was one of America's soldiers during the Revolutionary War, with Anthony Ramos playing him in Hamilton. He fought for the freedom of slaves after coming from a family that prospered from them. Laurens attempted to grant slaves freedom in exchange for fighting in the war, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He died in the Battle of Combahee River in 1782.
Philip Hamilton
Philip Hamilton is the first child of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton and also played by Ramos. He was born in 1782 and eventually went to Columbia College, where he graduated with honors in 1800. He died the following year at the age of 19 after confronting a lawyer named George Eacker for what he said about his father. Philip died as a result of a duel with Eacker.
Peggy Schuyler
Peggy Schuyler, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones, is the youngest of the Schuyler daughters in Hamilton. Angelica and Eliza's younger sister was born in 1758 and married Stephen Van Rensselaer III in 1783. She became very ill in 1799 and ed away in 1801 with Alexander at her side.
King George III
King George III, played by Jonathan Groff in Hamilton, began his reign over the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1760. Great Britain won the Seven Years' War against early on during his time as king, spreading his power across North America and India. But, George lost the American Revolutionary War and then fought with again. George III remained king until he died in 1820, which came after years of battling mental illness.
