Ever since the musical Hamilton, about the Founding Father of that name, came out in 2015, it has been a sensation. But as with most historical productions across different media, there are some errors. Hamilton has many errors and inaccuracies. But how major are these errors?
One of the most major errors is the fact that in the songs “Aaron Burr, Sir,” “My Shot,” and “The Story of Tonight,” a meeting of the Marquis de Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and John Laurens takes place. However, in reality, all of these characters didn’t meet each other at once. They all met each other at different times. In “Aaron Burr, Sir,” it says that it takes place in 1776, but Lafayette didn’t even arrive in America until 1777. When Lafayette came to America, the first stop on his list was the capital of Philadelphia, where he went to get a commission in the Continental Army. It is even said that Mulligan never even met Lafayette or Laurens.
This makes the plot of many of the songs in the first act inaccurate. Lafayette, Mulligan, Hamilton, Burr, and Laurens couldn’t have even met each other at the same exact time in New York, since Lafayette wasn’t even in America yet, and not even all of the characters met one another.
Another major error is the reference to three members of the Schuyler family. The musical asserts that there are only three siblings, all girls. In reality, there were 14 siblings in total, of whom seven lived to be adults. So the Schuyler Sisters song should include 14 siblings instead of just three.
These facts represent only some of the historically incorrect information in the songs of Hamilton. While it is a great musical, and many people enjoy listening and watching it, there are errors. Some may say that this makes the plot better. It definitely makes the musical shorter, as it cuts down on scenes of characters meeting one another. Either way, people will continue to love the Broadway sensation.
