![]() ![]() ![]() Her upbringing instilled in her a strong and unwavering faith she would retain throughout her life. Like most Dutch families of the area, her family belonged to the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, which still stands however, the original 1715 building, where Elizabeth was baptized and attended services, was demolished in 1806. Despite the unrest of the French and Indian War, which her father served in and which was fought in part near her childhood home, Eliza's childhood was spent comfortably, learning to read and sew from her mother. Like many landowners of the time, Philip Schuyler owned slaves, and Eliza would have grown up around slavery. Her family was among the wealthy Dutch landowners who had settled around Albany in the mid-1600s, and both her mother and father came from wealthy and well-regarded families. She had seven siblings who lived to adulthood, including Angelica Schuyler Church and Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer, but she had 14 siblings altogether. The Van Rensselaers of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck were one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of New York. She is recognized as an early American philanthropist for her work with the Orphan Asylum Society.Įlizabeth was born in Albany, New York, the second daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general, and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. Married to American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, she was a defender of his works and co-founder and deputy director of Graham Windham, the first private orphanage in New York City. This fall, they'll add an Alexander Hamilton to the mix.Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler / ˈ s k aɪ l ər/ Aug– Novem), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. Similarly, nearby Colonial Williamsburg ( - which should be on the itinerary of any Revolutionary War fan - has long had re-enactors who portray Jefferson, Lafayette and Patrick Henry. One new addition will be interactive exhibits on Hamilton. This fall, the Yorktown Victory Center ( will rebrand itself as the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, expanding its physical size and the scope of its mission. Truth be told, Hamilton-mania hasn't really spread this far south, but change is in the air. It is particularly rich in Marquis de Lafayette memorabilia. If you are in the area on a Sunday, the nearby custom house in Yorktown ( is staffed that day by volunteers from the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Charles Cornwallis and the end of the war. This key skirmish (in which Hamilton's troops rushed the British with unloaded guns and fixed bayonets to disguise their approach) led to the ultimate American victory over Gen. ![]() 10, where Hamilton's company overwhelmed the British. Head first to the site of the Battle of Yorktown, centerpiece of one of the musical's most arresting songs, "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)." Grab a map at the visitors center at Yorktown Battlefield ( - where you shouldn't miss the exhibit with George Washington's tents - then follow directions to Redoubt No. Instead, our next stop is a 5 1/2-hour drive deep into Thomas Jefferson's Virginia. Though the musical doesn't make this clear, it was in this city that he began his affair with Maria Reynolds ("Say No to This," "The Reynolds Pamphlet"), which derailed his political ambitions.įor that reason, while Washington, D.C., did become the nation's capital during Hamilton's lifetime, he has no real associations with the city. Manhattan lasted as the capital for less than two years after Washington's inauguration, and Hamilton found himself back in Philadelphia as treasury secretary. Head another hour south from Princeton, and you'll find yourself in Philadelphia, home to perhaps the most famous site associated with early America: Independence Hall.Īs a member of the Constitutional Convention, Hamilton argued in these chambers for his federalist ideals - in the musical, he and Burr narrate it in the song "Non-Stop" - and it was here that Hamilton convinced the fledgling government to move to New York. Learn more about the conflict at Princeton Battlefield State Park ( 1 1/2 miles south of the university. Hamilton extracted his revenge on Princeton during the Revolution at the Battle of Princeton in 1777, he lobbed cannonballs at Nassau Hall, the university's oldest building, forcing the British inside to surrender. That didn't actually happen, but Hamilton was certainly peeved and instead attended King's College - now Columbia University - in New York, which put him closer to the action when the war broke out. In the lyrics to the song "Aaron Burr, Sir," Miranda jokes that Hamilton's reaction to this news was to punch the bursar. An hour's drive south of Morristown is Princeton University, Burr's alma mater, which refused to allow Hamilton an accelerated course of study. ![]()
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