Hamilton! On Broadway and in Newtown on January 12!

NEWTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Box 189
NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT 06470

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact Ted Welsh, 203-426-9248
Tedwelsh123@hotmail.com

Alexander Hamilton, the figure who inspired the sensational Broadway smash hit was a giant among our Founding Fathers. His contributions to the early development of the United States as Economist, Statesman, Legal Scholar, Politician, Military Commander and Aide to General George Washington have become legendary and his legacy remains a standard in defining our national values.

On Sunday, January 12, 2020, the Newtown Historical Society, in conjunction with the Cyrenius Booth Library, will host a program entitled “Hamilton: Misery, Money and the Musical that Made Him Famous” at 2:00 PM in the meeting room of the Library, presented by Dr. Raymond E. Sullivan.

Why is Alexander Hamilton on the New York stage and not the other, more celebrated figures from our nation’s history?

Because Hamilton’s life is uniquely interesting, his contributions to American democracy are broad and diverse, and his inspiration in his own time for others to take up the cause of a young and independent nation is remarkable. Coming to New York City as a teenager from his birthplace in the Caribbean, the orphaned Hamilton soon took up the cause of the American Revolution. His rapid rise through the ranks of the Continental Army caught the attention of General Washington and forged Hamilton’s reputation for boldness and innovation. But Alexander Hamilton’s lasting place in the American story was built through his numerous contributions to the Constitution and his work in helping overcome many of the early problems in American democracy. These later contributions reveal a sharp understanding of the “character” of early Americans which may have been possible only for an “outsider” like Hamilton.

Do we know of any other historical figure whose life was cut short from a pistol ball fired during a duel to protect personal honor?

Please join us on January 12 and learn more about this special man who has captured the imaginations of people all over the country.

Dr. Raymond Sullivan is a retired General and Oncologic surgeon with a lifelong interest in Early American History. He is the Director of the Middlebury (CT) Historical Society and a member of the Massachusetts Historical society. His book, Contentment: A Novel of New England’s Birth, chronicles the harsh lives of the earliest immigrants to the New England region. Dr. Sullivan is active in Revolutionary War Re-Enactment projects in Massachusetts and he teaches various aspects of Early American History at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Connecticut in Waterbury, CT.

All Newtown Historical Society programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the program. For further information please call the Society at 203-426-5937, or visit the website at www.newtownhistory.org.