The era of President Obama did generate larger, unprecedented opportunities for racial representation in American media. Overall, I will analyze Hamilton: An American Musical and current scholarship about the production to provide insight into why Americans continue to pursue the post-racial narrative, the internal and external effects that representations of minorities in art can have on larger political conversations, and the importance of inspiring the “Hamiltons” of tomorrow in American media today. Through analysis of reviews, existing literature about Hamilton, and music from the show itself, I will disprove the claim that Hamilton indicates that American society is post-racial. Despite these claims, the myth of a post-racial America is exactly that: a myth, which current scholarship about Hamilton fails to address. Hamilton has even been called a sign of the “twilight of white America” (Walsh 457). Its positive representation of minority actors led many to believe Hamilton marked the end of a whitewashed American media, supporting the post-racial 1 narrative that many attribute to President Barack Obama’s election and re-election. Hamilton sparked a national dialogue about race in America.

This praise influenced many journalists and reviewers to make broader claims about the current state of American society.

Most of the actors in Hamilton are African-American, Hispanic, and Latinx, causing the actors in the musical and the musical itself to receive lots of media attention. It was praised not only for its well-crafted songs, relevant political rhymes, and unprecedented artistry, but also for its intentional non-white casting. Theater critics, journalists, and civilians alike held a practically unanimous opinion about Hamilton: that it is one of the best pieces of musical theater in this generation. On August 6, 2015, Hamilton: An American Musical, which tells the life story of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, premiered on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Keywords: Non-white casting, post-racial society, racial representations, diversity, minorities in art I will examine reviews and current scholarship on Hamilton to explore public perception of the musical to further understand how representation of minorities in art benefit marginalized populations more broadly in America as well as develop a façade of overcoming racial barriers. Though the racial representation in the Hamilton cast is positive and worthy of critical praise, my research will analyze the racial disparities within the casting of the musical and the story within the show itself to understand and disprove the belief that Hamilton signifies a post-racial society.

However, American society is far from post-racial, and most literature on Hamilton does not acknowledge the faults of Hamilton, specifically the public’s perception of the show’s content and casting. Both the show itself and the cast of Hamilton evolved into a political statement of equality, unity, and an alleged indicator of a post-racial society. Abstract: Hamilton: An American Musical, the Broadway sensation that chronicles the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, has received critical acclaim for its comprehensive plotline as well as its predominantly African-American and Latino cast, a deliberate choice made by the show’s composer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Hamilton broadway debut