Essay On Hamilton The Revolution

Hamilton the Revolution is a book full of many things. War, violence, love, hate, brilliance and idiocy. These are just a few of the many topics and ideas covered in the massive doorstop of a book that is Hamilton. Although it is a wonderful book, I don’t think I would want to live through it. War is glorified by many characters in the play, including Hamilton himself, but I really cannot see war as anything but a horrific waste. I would be stuck in the middle of bloodbath, forced to pick a side. Although I do see the reasoning behind those who revolted, I’m not sure I would want to risk my life and livelihood just to avoid taxation. This would be an unpopular opinion though, and I would be looked down upon by many. I would not want to live
during the era portrayed in Hamilton because of the war and conflict, the personal risk involved, and the hate I would receive for believing in these ideals. War is a terrible thing. It splits apart households, destroys families, and ends with hundreds, if not thousands of dead, their lives sacrificed for a meaningless endeavor. In Hamilton, Alexander’s own family is subject to the horrors of war “I begged him to send you home… I knew you’d fight until the war was done” (Miranda, 110). Because of the war and its consequences, Hamilton is separated from his wife and kids. Another example is Hamilton’s son Philip. “Even before we got to ten – I was aiming for the sky” (Miranda, 248). Philip dies at a young age in a duel. This is an indirect consequence of the war, and just goes to show how undesirable war is. War is a terrible thing.
Terrible things are no fun. Early in the book, Hamilton himself says “God, I wish there was a war!” (Miranda, 23). But if I had been in the situation, I would have wished for the opposite, for a peaceful solution between us and Great Britain. Besides just being generally bad, war is also very risky. If I had been living in the Revolutionary era, I wouldn’t be so eager to turn into another casualty. Hamilton is ambitious and wants to secure his legacy in history. He’s fine with martyrdom. I’m not. That goal isn’t relevant for me. I would value my life above my legacy. These opinions expressed so far would be very unpopular. Arguing against war with Britain, and war in general would not be looked upon kindly. I would be insulted, looked down upon, and maybe even attacked. This is another reason I wouldn’t want to live in this period. Hamilton himself debates aggressively against a colonist arguing against war in the scene/song Farmer Refuted. I don’t see why I would want to live in a time where my opinions would be so disvalued. To conclude, I am glad the Revolution happened and we gained our independence, but I would not want to live through it. War is an awful, horrific thing, something I would definitely not want to be a part
of.