Lin Manuel Miranda's Portrayal of Immigrants

How Hamilton Shows Us a Modern Stereotypical Portrayal of the Immigrant and Why Alexander Hamilton's Historical Context Changes His Story

Abstract

In the musical Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda—himself the son of an immigrant—parallels the main character Alexander Hamilton with the "ideal" American immigrant who works hard to advance himself. However, a closer look at the historical Hamilton reveals a white colonizer whose situation is not completely representative of modern-day immigrant narratives like that of Miranda's father.