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The stories of the founding fathers have been heavily mythologized. Yes, we can refer back to the original sources, but we also have two centuries of historiogr
by boomboomsubban 4y ago
The stories of the founding fathers have been heavily mythologized. Yes, we can refer back to the original sources, but we also have two centuries of historiography using those original sources to spin a variety of narratives. To the point where you can use their actions to tell basically any story you want.
An example of this is "Hamilton." The musical and the book that inspired it tell a version of events different enough to what other sources say that it may as well be complete fiction.
- mustacheemperor 4y ago>and the book that inspired it Genuinely wondering - Where do those other sources differ, and why are they authoritative enough to mean the book Alexander Hamilton may as well be complete fiction? Looking online, I can't really find much contemporary criticism of its accuracy from the time of its release or afterwards, just general acclaim from book reviewers. I can't find much academic opinion of it either way, save for one review I don't have library access to but seems to have a positive first page.[0] I'm not really familiar with the musical, but I did find a few articles noting Ron Chernow consulted on its historical accuracy. I wouldn't really hold a musical theater production to the same standard of historic accuracy as a biography, though, so I am more curious why you describe the biography as "complete fiction." [0]https://www.jstor.org/stable/3542686 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3542686
- boomboomsubban 4y agoI will admit "complete fiction" was hyperbole. Events in it did happen, but it ignored many other events and his true rationale behind it. This is either what I read or inspired what I read about the issue, https://web.archive.org/web/20170313043444/http://bostonreview.net/hogeland-inventing-alexander-hamilton https://web.archive.org/web/20170313043444/http://bostonrevi...