Alexander Hamilton’s pop-culture revival in recent years, with all the negative repercussions accompanying such hype, has also had the positive effect of renewed interest in the historical person (as opposed to the theatrical), and especially in questioning his bona fide credentials as an Abolitionist.
The New York Times reports on a startling piece of new research, in which substantial and previously overlooked evidence is presented that Hamilton was in fact a committed slave owner and, it follows, complicit in the institution as such. It will be for others to decide where this work fits in the bigger picture of Hamilton’s life, and afterlife, but one has to congratulate the young researcher, Jessie Serfilippi, and presumably also the New York State Parks, Recreation & Historical Preservation for their support. One should pause and acknowledge the contributions often made, beyond academia, in the realm of public history. Short, succinct and available here for download.
Beyond Hamilton (or ‘Hamilton’), my own recent inquiries surrounding the Civil War, have certainly made me aware that slavery as it existed in the North was far more insidious than the historical record would sometimes suggest, so I will certainly be returning to say more about this.