Hamilton: An American Musical Cheatsheet (Act II)
This is a continuation of the Act I cheatsheet put together by Manish Nair and myself. For the Act I tracks, click here.
Track 24: What’d I Miss
Summary
- Act II opens with Thomas Jefferson (played by the actor who was also Lafayette) returning back to the US from France to assume his duties as Secretary of State.
- Having been absent from most of the Revolution, Jefferson cheekily asks the audience what he’s missed, while the song launches into a jazzy sequence with elements of the South.
Digging deeper
Jefferson mentions that he’s ‘been in Paris meeting lots of different ladies’, and Angelica Schuyler was one of them! The two met frequently in Paris as Angelica’s husband worked as a US Envoy to France alongside Jefferson, the American Minister to France. Even after Jefferson returned to America, they kept an intimate correspondence for many years. Yet, despite Angelica’s knowledge of politics and current affairs, Jefferson found it inappropriate for a woman to discuss such matters and dismissed her attempts to engage him on them. In his own words:
‘… I suppose by your letters also, how much your native state has been agitated by the question on the new Constitution. But that need not agitate you. The tender breasts of ladies were not formed for political convulsion…’
Frolicking aside, Jefferson had an illustrious political career. He, like Hamilton, found fame in his mastery of words, epitomised through his role as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He gave Lafayette substantial direction in drafting France’s Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which became a significant document that led to the French Revolution.
However, when Hamilton first met Jefferson in 1790, he did not view him as the revered political figure we remember today. When the new government was formed, the Declaration of Independence had not attained sacrosanct status and Jefferson’s authorship remained largely anonymous. In fact, Jefferson only assumed credit for it when he found attribution politically convenient later in the decade.
Track 25: Cabinet Battle #1
Summary
- The two cabinet meetings of the musical are staged as rap battles between Hamilton and Jefferson, bringing America’s two-party system to life.
- In Cabinet Battle #1, Hamilton seeks to pass his plan for the federal government to assume all state debt incurred during the Revolution, but Jefferson opposes this for fear that it would result in a more centralised government, a feature reminiscent of British tyranny.
Digging deeper
The Constitution gave no instructions for a cabinet, so Washington had to invent one as the newly appointed President of the United States of America. His first executive council consisted of only three men: Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, Jefferson as Secretary of State, and Henry Knox of Secretary of War. John Adams, who assumed the role of Vice President, was largely excluded from the administration’s decision making.
With only three executive departments, each with poorly-defined boundaries, each Secretary wielded considerable power. Hamilton was an active force in the administration: he had myriad opinions on a wide range of issues, granting an influence so pervasive that most historians regard him as being akin to a prime minister. This particularly galled Jefferson, whose turf was frequently infringed upon by Hamilton.
Hamilton’s 1791 bank bill, which would charter the Bank of the United States for twenty years, sparked a constitutional crisis as both Madison and Jefferson balked at the idea of a central bank. This marked the point at which the amity between Hamilton and Madison dissolved irrevocably. The debate over the bank bill ultimately revealed a deep North-South divide within the House of Representatives, with northern congressmen standing squarely behind Hamilton and almost all their southern counterparts opposing him.
Track 26: Take A Break
Summary
- In this track, we delve into Hamilton’s private life and explore his relationships with Eliza and Angelica. He obsesses over his work, and values his goals over all else.
- Eliza stresses how Hamilton needs rest from overworking, especially to spend quality time with his family. As she nags at him, Hamilton brushes her off with non-committal replies.
- Hamilton interacts with Angelica on a more equal level. In their written exchanges, he freely discusses his political battles with Jefferson and she urges him to find a compromise. The intimacy that they share adds complexity to the triangle.
- Observers have noted how ‘take a break’ in modern slang means to spend time apart and see others, foreshadowing Hamilton’s affair with Maria Reynolds when Eliza leaves to spend time at her father’s estate in Albany during the summer.
Track 27: Say No To This
Summary
- Say No To This charts Hamilton’s encounters with Maria Reynolds, wife of James Reynolds, from their first interaction to the death of their full-blown affair.
- Chernow labels Hamilton’s affair as ‘one of history’s most mystifying cases of bad judgment’, which also manifested as the first major sex scandal in America’s political history.
- The track brings in elements of Helpless, drawing uncomfortable parallels to Eliza’s own dizzying account of Hamilton’s courtship. Hamilton wants to say no to Maria’s advances, but observes that ‘she looks so helpless’.
- James Reynolds eventually learns of the affair and uses it to blackmail Hamilton into payment, threatening to expose it to Eliza if he were to refuse.
Digging deeper
23 years old at the time, Maria Reynolds had arrived unannounced at Hamilton’s house in Philadelphia and asked to speak with him in private. According to Hamilton, Maria had confided in him stories of her husband’s cruel treatment. With her husband having recently left her to live with another woman, she was desperate to return to her friends New York but did not have any means to. Maria appealed to Hamilton’s humanity, and his sympathy soon spiralled into sexual relations.
In an impassioned letter, James Reynolds charged Hamilton with alienating Maria’s affections and demanded compensation for his ruined marriage. This amounted to a considerable sum of a thousand dollars, which Hamilton was forced to pay in instalments. When Hamilton attempted to terminate the affair, he received letters from both husband and wife looking to leverage on the enduring effects of his infidelity. This prompted conjecture that the Reynolds, familiar with Hamilton’s soft spot for maidens in distress and insatiable sexual appetite, had schemed against Hamilton from the start. Maria had even told Hamilton of her husband’s insistence that she avail herself to high-ranking and influential figures, prostituting herself to receive money from them.
Track 28: The Room Where It Happens
Summary
- Burr’s back, and he’s hungrier for political power than ever. In this track, he lets the audience in on negotiations happening between Hamilton and the Jefferson-Madison duo, all while craving to be in ‘the room where it happens’.
- From Burr and the audience’s viewpoint, the discussion is a black box. We only learn of the outcomes: Hamilton gains the necessary support for his bank bill, while the Virginians secure the status of the nation’s capital nearer to the South.
- Upset that he was not privy to or consulted for the negotiations, Burr shifts his stance on from waiting for it to putting ‘skin in the game’ as Hamilton does. This sets the tone for Burr’s future political exploits, which would increasingly clash with Hamilton’s own goals.
Digging deeper
The first Bank of the United States was established in Philadelphia. Madison had initially fretted over the location of the central bank, thinking that it would plant the national capital there permanently, to the detriment of the South. The Dinner Compromise of 1790 negotiations resulted in Madison lending Hamilton support to pass the Funding Act of 1790, which enabled the federal government to consolidate and manage all state debts. In return, Hamilton lent Madison his support to move the national capital to its current location in Washington, D.C..
Track 29: Schuyler Defeated
Summary
- With new vigour, Burr applies himself to the political scene in New York, defeating Philip Schuyler to become New York senator. Here we see his opportunistic side as he switches parties to join the Democratic-Republicans to suit his purpose.
- Hamilton, belligerent at the turn of events, confronts Burr over his new appointment. He criticises Burr’s methods and lack of principles despite the fact that he too personally engages in dubious politics, as in The Room Where It Happens.
- The track ends with the animosity between the two deepening. Schuyler Defeated is the last time we will see Hamilton and Burr regard each other as friends.
Track 30: Cabinet Battle #2
Summary
- The audience is transported to another cabinet meeting, this time over the issue of whether American forces should aid the French efforts against Britain or remain neutral. A post-revolutionary France, after executing Louis XVI, had just declared war against England and other royal powers.
- Hamilton insists that neutrality is the only proper course for the US, while Jefferson opposes issuing a declaration hastily. The latter raises the signing of a treaty with France during the American Revolution, which established a military pact between the two.
- After hearing both sides of the argument, Washington decides to issue a statement of neutrality on the basis that the US was far too weak to back the French in the war. Disgruntled, Jefferson sneers at Hamilton after the meeting, reminding him that he’s ‘nothing without Washington behind [him]’.
Digging deeper
The Americans had signed the Treaty of Alliance in 1778, which compelled American forces to aid the French if a war were to break out between France and Britain during the American Revolution. According to Article I of the treaty:
‘If War should break out between France and Great Britain, during the continuance of the present War between the United States and England, his Majesty and the said United States, shall make it a common cause, and aid each other mutually with their good Offices, their Counsels, and their forces, according to the exigence of Conjunctures as becomes good & faithful Allies.’
Jefferson was horrified at the suspension of the 1778 treaty with France, but Hamilton, in his defence of neutrality, argued that the French Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy that oversaw the Treaty of Alliance (Louis XVI), had rendered the former it null and void. After days of heated debate between Hamilton and Jefferson, Washington took a stand and issued a Proclamation of Neutrality. The proclamation set a precedent for the US, granting it an ‘ideological shield’ against European politics.
Track 31: Washington On Your Side
Summary
- Right after Jefferson’s diss at Hamilton in Cabinet Battle #2, Burr teams up with Jefferson and Madison to deride Hamilton’s dependence on Washington.
- This is the first instance in which we see how Burr measures up to his high profile Democratic-Republican counterparts — while having capitalised on an opportunity by changing camps, Burr remains a political outsider.
- The trio end up investigating money flowing to and from the Treasury, convinced that Hamilton has engaged in unscrupulous activities. This sets the scene for their later confrontation of Hamilton, which ultimately uncovers his true secret.
Track 32: One Last Time
Summary
- George Washington’s going home! This track tells of the crafting of Washington’s famous Farewell Address as he voluntarily steps down as President.
- Hamilton also learns from Washington that Jefferson has resigned as Secretary of State to run for presidential office.
Digging deeper
One Last Time compresses the actual historical timeline quite a bit for dramatic effect. In reality, Jefferson had stepped down from his post in 1793, and the next presidential election would only be in 1796. It was then that Washington decided not to run for the presidency for a third term.
Washington’s decision to forgo a third term was historic — many Republican revolutions throughout the course of history have ended with military dictatorships, and he had opted to surrender power at a time when many would have clung to it. Washington had not been bound by term limits, and many Americans had expected him to serve for life. By stepping away from power, he embedded into a American politics a tradition of presidents leaving office after a maximum of two terms.
As a close to his presidency, Washington wanted to make a valedictory statement that would codify some enduring principles in American politics. He had previously enlisted the help of Madison to draft a farewell address after his first term (1792), but had kept it when he decided on a second term. In the spring of 1796, when he unearthed the draft, he turned to Hamilton to update it. Hamilton produced two documents for Washington: a reworking of Madison’s draft and his own version of the speech. Washington chose the latter as a base, and worked closely with Hamilton to sharpen and polish it. In September 1796, his iconic Farewell Address was finally delivered in print form and reproduced by newspapers nation-wide.
Track 33: I Know Him
Summary
- In this track, King George III returns for the last reprise of You’ll Be Back. He is incredulous at Washington’s resignation, as well as the election of John Adams as the second President of the United States.
- King George indulges in glee, believing that the US government will collapse without Washington’s universally respected leadership. A dig is made at Adams’ height (1.70m) at the same time — ‘that’s that little guy who spoke to me’ — to contrast it to Washington’s stature (1.88m).
Stay tuned for the next instalment of our Hamilton cheatsheet!
