America has \;Hamilton-mania! Everyone &rsquo\;s talking about \;Lin-Manuel Miranda&rsquo\;s Tony-winning mus ical and many of us have the triple-platinum cast album playing on repeat. Its crafty lyrics\, hip-hop tunes\, and big\, bold story have rejuvenated interest in the real lives and true histories that \;Hamilton: the Mu sical \;puts center stage. \;In this talk\, which is aimed at peop le who \;know the soundtrack or who&rsquo\;ve seen the show\, Universi ty of Maryland historian Dr. Richard Bell explores this musical phenomenon to reveal what its success tells us about the marriage of history and sho w-business. We&rsquo\;ll learn what this amazing musical gets right and ge ts wrong about Alexander Hamilton\, the American Revolution\, and the birt h of the United Sates and about why all that matters. We will examine some of the choices \;Hamilton&rsquo\;s creators made to simplify\, dramat ize\, and humanize the complicated events and stories on which the show is based. We will also talk about \;Hamilton&rsquo\;s \;cultural imp act: what does its runaway success reveal about the stories we tell each o ther about who we are and about the nation we made?
\nDr. Richard Be ll is Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland. He hol ds a PhD from Harvard University and is author of the new book \;Stole n: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey&nbs p\;Home. He has \;won more than a dozen teaching awards\, including&nb sp\;the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for E xcellence in Teaching\, the highest honor for teaching faculty in the Mary land state system. He has held \;major research fellowships at Yale\, Cambridge\, and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the Nation al Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award. He serves as a Truste e of the Maryland Historical Society\, as an elected member of the Colonia l Society of Massachusetts\, and as a fellow of the Royal Historical Socie ty. \;
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