Since its Broadway debut, Hamilton: An American Musical has infused itself into the American experience: who shapes it, who owns it, who can rap it best. Lawyers and legal scholars, recognizing the way the musical speaks to some of our most complicated constitutional issues, have embraced Alexander Hamilton as the trendiest historical face in American civics. Hamilton and the Law offers a revealing look into the legal community's response to the musical, which continues to resonate in a country still deeply divided about the reach of the law.
A star-powered cast of legal minds-from two former U.S. solicitors general to leading commentators on culture and society-contribute brief and engaging magazine-style articles to this lively book. Intellectual property scholars share their thoughts on Hamilton's inventive use of other sources, while family law scholars explore domestic violence. Critical race experts consider how Hamilton furthers our understanding of law and race, while authorities on the Second Amendment discuss the language of the Constitution's most contested passage. Legal scholars moonlighting as musicians discuss how the musical lifts history and law out of dusty archives and onto the public stage. This collection of minds, inspired by the phenomenon of the musical and the Constitutional Convention of 1787, urges us to heed Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Founding Fathers and to create something new, daring, and different.
Edited by:
Lisa A. Tucker
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 27mm
Weight: 907g
ISBN: 9781501752216
ISBN 10: 1501752219
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 15 October 2020
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Part 1: ""And so the American Experiment Begins"": The Constitution and the Three Branches of Government 1. Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Future of Originalism, Richard Primus 2. Some Alexander Hamilton, but Not So Much Hamilton, in the New Supreme Court, John Q. Barrett 3. Tragedy in the Supreme Court: ""I'd Rather Be Divisive Than Indecisive"", Lisa A. Tucker 4. Alexander Hamilton's ""One Shot"" before the U.S. Supreme Court, Gregory G. Garre 5. ""Never Gon' Be President Now"", Michael Gerhardt 6. Hamilton: Child Laborer and Truant, Paul M. Secunda Part 2: ""America, You Great Unfinished Symphony"" 7. Hamilton's America—and Ours, Kermit Roosevelt III 8. Hamilton and Washington at War and a Vision for Federal Power, Elizabeth B. Wydra 9. Two Oaths: Supporting and Defending the Constitution with Hamilton, Jill I. Goldenziel Part 3: ""We'll Never Be Truly Free"": Hamilton and Race 10. Finding Constitutional Redemption through Hamilton, Christina Mulligan 11. Race, Nation, and Patrimony, or, the Stakes of Diversity in Hamilton, Anthony Paul Farley 12. ""The World Turned Upside Down"": Employment Discrimination, Race, and Authenticity in Hamilton, Marcia L. McCormick 13. Hamilton and the Power of Racial Fables in Examining the U.S. Constitution, Danielle Holley-Walker Part 4: ""I'm 'a Compel Him to Include Women in the Sequel"" 14. On Women's Rights, Legal Change, and Incomplete Sequels, Eloise Pasachoff 15. When Your Job Is to Marry Rich: Marriage as a Market in Hamilton, Kimberly Mutcherson 16. ""Love"" Triangles: Romance or Domestic Violence?, Rosa Frazier Part 5: ""Immigrants, We Get the Job Done"" 17. Hamilton's Dissent to the Travel Ban, Neal Katyal 18. Hamilton and the Limits of Contemporary Immigration Narratives, Anil Kalhan 19. Hamilton's Immigrant Story Today, Elizabeth Keyes Part 6: ""The Ten Duel Commandments"" 20. Hamilton, Hip-Hop, and the Culture of Dueling in America, Glenn Harlan Reynolds 21. Alexander Hamilton, Citizen-Protector?, Jody Madeira 22. We Will Never Be Satisfied: Hamilton and Jefferson's Duel Over Constitutional Meaning, Ian Millhiser 23. Hamilton, Burr, and Defamation: Physical versus Verbal Duels, Benjamin Barton 24. Elections as Duels: ""You Know What? We Can Change That. You Know Why?"" 'Cuz We Have the Support of Two-Thirds of Each House of Congress and Three-Quarters of the States!, Joshua A. Douglas 25. Modern-Day Protests: As American as Apple Pie, Kimberly Jade Norwood Part 7: ""Who Tells Your Story?"" 26. Every Action's an Act of Creation: Hamilton and Copyright Law, Rebecca Tushnet 27. Hollering to Be Heard: Copyright and the Aesthetics of Voice, Zahr K. Said 28. Taking Law School Musicals Seriously: A Little Love Letter to Legal Musicals and the Lawyers Who Love Them, Robin J. Effron 29. ""The World Turned Upside Down"": Hamilton and Deconstruction, Bret D. Asbury Part 8: ""What Is a Legacy?"": Lessons from Hamilton beyond the Libretto 30. ""Cabinet Battle #1"": The Structure of Federalism, Erwin Chemerinsky 31. Hamilton's Bank and Jefferson's Nightmare, Mehrsa Baradaran 32. Alexander Hamilton's Legacy: The American Board of Directors, M. Todd Henderson 33. I Never Thought I'd Live Past Twenty"": Hamilton through the Lens of Anticipated Early Death, Sarah Fishel"
Lisa A. Tucker is Associate Professor of Law at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University and author of the novel Called On, as well as eleven books for children. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, People, Time, and NBC Nightly News.
Reviews for Hamilton and the Law: Reading Today's Most Contentious Legal Issues through the Hit Musical
Whether or not readers have a strong grounding in the law, they'll be stirred by the connections the book draws among Hamilton, current events, and history. * Library Journal * [Hamilton and the Law] shows us a look in the mirror and asks - can we abandon the founder myths so that we can realize our present-day reality and strive towards substantive equity for all? Hamilton, adored by millions, may be the pop culture medium that helps us heal our inconsistent conceptualizations of America's past, present, and future. Applause to you, Professor Tucker. * Hedgehogs and Foxes Blog * The collection has the seemingly incongruous effect of simultaneously drawing you into our formative history and the making of Hamilton: An American Musical, while also contemplating the intractable issues facing us today. In this way, it invites readers to think not only about the relationships between art, law and society, but also the possible narratives one can tell about the America of days gone by and the ways in which those narratives can shape our future. * Law360 * Lisa A. Tucker has succeeded in using the innovation and exuberance of Lin-Manuel Miranda's ground-breaking musical to explore a wide range of legal, social, and historical issues. A smart and original book. * Los Angeles Review of Books * The book would be good for collections on law and current affairs. * Choice *
