Romance Between the Founding Fathers?
by Isabella Zollner
Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens were two of the founding fathers of America. Alexander Hamilton served as the treasury secretary under George Washington and John Laurens was a lieutenant colonel of the revolutionary war. During their time fighting and creating America the two men developed a relationship that many people now believe was romantic.
We obviously can’t use the obvious tension between John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton in the musical Hamilton as proof of their romantic relationship. So, it’s a good thing we have all of those letters Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens exchanged. Most of Hamilton’s letters were sent to Laurens while Laurens fought in the Revolutionary War. They contain an open longing for John Laurens to return to New York, where Hamilton lived. In one instance Hamilton writes,
“But like a jealous lover, when I thought you slighted my caresses, my affection was alarmed and my vanity piqued.”
The illusion of Hamilton as Laurens’ ‘jealous lover’ is the 1700’s equivalent of ‘no homo’. Hamilton continues to make allusions to him and Laurens being lovers — something most straight men in 1700’s America didn’t really partake in.
However, an earlier letter from Hamilton to John Laurens is even more compelling evidence that Hamilton and Laurens were more than friends. The letter begins with a note on the top saying,
“I must not publish all of this”
It is unclear who wrote this sentence because the letter traded through so many hands before publication. It could have been Alexander Hamilton upon writing the letter, John Laurens scribbling a reminder, or — most likely — Hamilton’s son John Hamilton who published all of Hamilton’s correspondences with John Laurens. Obviously, no matter who wrote that cryptic note, it hints at some correspondence between Hamilton and Laurens that, if released, could tarnish their appearances. While that correspondence isn’t necessarily a hidden romantic relationship, based on the content of the letter it seems likely. In this letter, Hamilton remorses to John Laurens about how much Hamilton and his family miss Laurens. Hamilton opens the letter with this very platonic introduction,
“Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships, I wish, Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that ‘till you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you.”
That’s a bit of a tongue twister, so let me summarize: Hamilton writes that he wished he could show Laurens, rather than only tell him how much he loved him. Hamilton also goes on to tell Laurens that he never realized how much he cared for Laurens until he was gone.
Hamilton and Laurens went on this way for many months. They exchanged tens of letters with thinly veiled flirtation. Notably, despite exchanging letters with Hamilton on such a regular basis, letters between John Laurens and his wife are few, if any. This is in fact a very accurate reflection of John Laurens’ relationship with his wife. John and Martha Laurens didn’t have a terribly passionate relationship. John Laurens met Martha while in England and upon finding out she was pregnant quickly married her. John Laurens was even quoted as writing to his uncle, “pity has obliged me to marry”.
In all likelihood, John Laurens didn’t have anything against Martha Laurens. There is evidence, even from an early age, that Laurens wasn’t interested in women. John Laurens’ father, Henry Laurens, wrote to a friend when John was 13. Henry confessed that he worried because his son showed no interest in any women. He excuses this in the letter saying that Laurens must develop feelings for women soon.
Sadly, we will never know for certain what the relationship of Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens actually was. While there is compelling evidence that John Laurens was never interested in women, and there are tens of letters from Hamilton with flirtatious undertones, there is no way to determine what kind of relationship Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens had. A key factor in the mystery surrounding their relationship is John Laurens’ death.
Hamilton sent the majority of his letters while John Laurens was at war fighting. Almost immediately after being married, John Laurens took a ship to America and joined their soldiers in fighting the Revolutionary War. In August of 1782, in South Carolina, after the war was finished, a lone band of British soldiers killed John Laurens during a skirmish. After John Laurens’ death, Hamilton wrote to his friend Marqui De Lafayette saying he wished to retire for a few months. This shock of John Laurens’ death caused Hamilton much emotional turmoil, and the suddenness of it affects our country even now. If John Laurens had lived would the outspokenly anti-slavery politician have helped to create our country’s laws? Would we know more about Hamilton and Laurens’ relationship? Because of the unexpected death of John Laurens, we have yet another What If? of history. We can only speculate about his life and the way it changed our world.
About the Author:
After being subjected to homophobic harassment in the classroom, Isabella decided to try and use her writing to encourage others to stand up for each other and themselves. Isabella is a high school student in Lafayette, IN.
