Non-stop Hamilton: On Stage and in the Law

Some of us here at SOLL have been listening to a lot of Hamilton recently – along with the rest of America! In light of the musical’s big night of Tony wins last weekend, we thought some of you might like to delve a little deeper into the life of the ten-dollar founding father. Below are some featured titles from SOLL’s collection that examine Hamilton's relationship with the law. Come visit us at the library and check them out!

HAMILTON: “I practiced the law, I practically perfected it...”

The law practice of Alexander Hamilton : documents and commentary / Julius Goebel, Jr., editor. Associate editors, Francis K. Decker, Jr. ... [et al.]

This five-volume set reproduces Hamilton’s legal papers, accompanied by extensive contextual essays and annotations. “This documentary reconstruction of Hamilton’s professional life has been designed with two ends in view: to establish what his professional capacities were, and to chronicle what his contributions to the growth of the law may have been,” writes editor Julius Goebel, Jr. in the preface. The books are organized by subject, from practice and procedure to criminal cases to real property, with introductory commentary at the beginning of each grouping, followed by the annotated documents.

BURR: “Hamilton, at the Constitutional Convention, there as a New York junior delegate, goes and proposes his open form of government!”

The records of the Federal convention of 1787 / edited by Max Farrand.

A full outline of Hamilton’s plan in the above-reference speech -- which was soundly rejected by the Congress -- is included here. This set of four volumes collected and reprinted all available notes and texts relating to the Convention from a variety of archival sources.

Alexander Hamilton and the Constitution / Clinton Rossiter.

This in-depth study examines Hamilton’s contributions to the United States Constitution, from his work prior to Convention of 1787 to his continuing relevance in its interpretation.

It is interesting to note that author Clinton Rossiter, writing in 1963, points out many of the same themes that Lin-Manuel Miranda emphasizes in his modern-day musical. “Alexander Hamilton is still the least known and most misunderstood major figure in American history, a man in plain if not desperate need of a fresh appraisal,” Rossiter writes in the preface. He goes on to say, “I undertook this study not to celebrate Hamilton but to understand him; I ended with the conviction that to understand him is to celebrate him, if not necessarily to love him.”

HAMILTON: “A series of essays, anonymously published, defending the document of the public…”

The Federalist : a commentary on the Constitution of the United States, being a collection of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay in support of the Constitution agreed upon September 17, 1787

The Federalist : a classic on federalism and free government / Gottfried Dietze











Much has been written about the Federalist, also known as the Federalist Papers. This series of 85 essays, authored by Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, defend the strong central government outlined in the newly-drafted U.S. Constitution, and continue to be cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. Read the essays in full, or check out legal scholar Gottfried Dietze’s 1961 analysis for some historic perspective.