History Has Its Eyes On You: Hamilton & Introductory American Government Courses

• In Event: Actors, Audiences, Aspirations: What Hamilton the Musical Teaches about Politics

Abstract

This paper will explore how the new musical Hamilton can be used as a way of bringing students to a new understanding of American government at the introductory level. As a recent pop culture smash, Hamilton has brought to the fore the possibility of a new civic conversation about our political beginnings. With many citizens lacking a sufficient understanding of American political culture at this fraught time, the introductory American Government course is the ideal spot to enhance civic understanding. In this paper, I will discuss how music from the Hamilton cast album as well as available videos about the show have been used over two semesters of the introductory American Government course at a regional public university to encourage discussion and active learning about key concepts and critical moments in American history that have shaped politics through the present day.

Author

• William D. Adler, Northeastern Illinois University