The power of Hamilton comes alive when students realize that the lyrics they love are in conversation with the actual documents of the past. This page is designed specifically for middle school teams to co-develop lessons that help students analyze historical perspectives by studying both the musical’s lyrics and the primary sources that inspired them.
These mini projects are structured to be flexible. Use them as a bridge between your classrooms, whether you have block scheduling, shared students, or simply want to create a unified unit that gives students a richer, more complex understanding of history and the power of storytelling.
Teacher Ideas & Lesson Starters
These collaborative activities are designed to be split between classrooms or co-taught. Each one pairs a Hamilton song with a primary source document.
📝 “Right Hand Man” vs. Washington’s War Letters
The Idea: Compare the musical’s portrayal of Washington as a desperate leader begging for Hamilton’s help with Washington’s actual letters from the same period.
Driving Question: Why might Miranda have chosen to exaggerate or compress certain historical details? What makes for a good story versus what makes for an accurate historical record?
Social Studies Role: Provide primary source letters from Washington to Congress or his generals during the low points of the Revolutionary War. Students analyze his tone, his word choice, and the actual challenges he describes.
ELA Role: Analyze the lyrics of “Right Hand Man.” How does Miranda characterize Washington? How does he characterize Hamilton? What is the dramatic purpose of making Washington seem so dependent on a young aide?
💌 The Reynolds Pamphlet: Scandal, Confession, and Primary Sources
The Idea: Use one of the most dramatic moments in the musical to teach students how to approach biased primary sources.
Driving Question: Can a primary source be trusted if the author has a clear agenda? How does a modern artist’s interpretation add another layer of bias?
Social Studies Role: Provide excerpts from the actual Reynolds Pamphlet. What is Hamilton’s stated purpose in writing it? Who is his audience? What does he hope to gain?
ELA Role: Analyze the song “The Reynolds Pamphlet.” How do the lyrics, the music, and the ensemble’s reaction tell us how we should feel about this event? How does the musical interpret Hamilton’s decision?
🗽 “Yorktown” and Battle Reports
The Idea: Compare the triumphant, almost mythic portrayal of the Battle of Yorktown with the clinical language of official military reports.
Driving Question: How do the stories a nation tells about its battles shape its identity? Which version of Yorktown is more memorable? Which is more useful for a historian?
Social Studies Role: Share a brief primary source account of Yorktown from a soldier’s journal or an official report. Focus on the factual details: troop movements, casualties, dates.
ELA Role: Analyze “Yorktown.” Focus on the imagery, the bravado, and the emotional arc of the song. How does Miranda turn a historical event into a story of triumph and sacrifice?
“We split the class in half. One group analyzed Washington’s letters, the other analyzed the song. When they came back together, the debate about which was ‘more true’ was fantastic. They realized both tell a truth, just different kinds.” — History Teacher, Seaside
“We turned our classrooms into the cabinet. My room was Hamilton’s team, the other teacher’s room was Jefferson’s. They had to use the primary sources to prepare, then we held our own battles. Best week of the year.” — Team Teachers, Marina
“My kids were shocked that the pamphlet was real. We put the text side-by-side with the song lyrics, and they spent the whole period arguing about whether Hamilton was brave or just arrogant.” — ELA Teacher, Salinas
Mini-Project: “Perspectives on a Founding Father”
This collaborative project is designed to be taught across both classrooms over the course of one week. Students will examine a single figure from two angles, then synthesize their findings.
| Project Overview | Details |
| Grade Level | 8th Grade |
| Time Allotment | One week (flexible block scheduling recommended) |
| CA History-Social Science Standards | 8.3.3: Analyze the roles of the Founding Fathers and their influence on the development of the country.8.3.4: Understand how the conflicts between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton resulted in the emergence of two political parties. |
| CA Common Core Standards (ELA) | RI.8.9: Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.W.8.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. |
| Materials Needed | – Access to Hamilton soundtrack (specific songs as assigned)- Printed primary source documents (letters, speeches, official papers) for each figure- Graphic organizer for comparing perspectives |
Day 1: Introduction and Figure Selection (Social Studies Focus)
- Hook (15 min): Play a clip from Hamilton featuring one of the key figures (Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, or Burr). Ask students what they already think about this person based on the musical.
- Introduce the Project (10 min): Explain that students will spend the week investigating one Founding Father by looking at two very different kinds of texts: the Hamilton lyrics and the historical record.
- Assign Figures (5 min): Divide students into small groups. Assign each group a different figure to research.
- Begin Background (20 min): In Social Studies class, students begin reading a brief, neutral overview of their assigned figure’s life and key contributions. This establishes a baseline before they encounter the more subjective sources.
Day 2: The Historical Record (Social Studies Focus)
- Warm-up (5 min): Review the basic facts about each figure.
- Primary Source Analysis (40 min): Students receive 2-3 primary source documents written by or about their figure. Using a graphic organizer, they answer:
- What is this document’s purpose?
- What does it reveal about this person’s beliefs, personality, or goals?
- What words or phrases stand out?
- What questions do we still have?
- Exit Ticket (5 min): Write one sentence summarizing your figure based only on the primary sources.
Day 3: The Musical’s Perspective (ELA Focus)
- Warm-up (5 min): Review the summary sentence from Day 2.
- Lyric Analysis (40 min): Students receive the lyrics to the songs that feature their assigned figure most prominently. (For example, Jefferson’s group analyzes “What’d I Miss?” and “Cabinet Battle #1”). On their graphic organizer, they answer:
- How does Miranda characterize this person?
- What is this person’s main goal or desire in the song?
- What words or phrases does Miranda use to shape our opinion of them?
- What is left out?
- Exit Ticket (5 min): Write one sentence summarizing your figure based only on the Hamilton lyrics.
Day 4: Synthesis and Preparation (Team Teaching Focus)
- Compare (20 min): In their groups, students lay out their two summary sentences side-by-side. They discuss the differences. Where does the musical agree with the historical record? Where does it take creative liberty?
- Discuss (15 min): Whole class discussion led by both teachers. Why does Miranda make these choices? What is gained by his interpretation? What is lost?
- Prepare (15 min): Each group prepares a brief presentation answering one central question: “Who was your figure, and whose version is more true—the historian’s or the artist’s?” They must use evidence from both sets of sources.
Day 5: Presentations and Conclusion (Team Teaching Focus)
- Presentations (40 min): Each group presents their findings to the class. Encourage students from other groups to ask questions.
- Final Reflection (10 min): Students write a short reflection: “How does studying both history and art help us understand the past differently than studying just one?”
Quick Start Strategies for Team Teachers
If a full week project feels like too much right now, try one of these quick collaboration strategies:
- Primary Source of the Week: In Social Studies, analyze a primary source. In ELA, find the line in Hamilton that connects to it and discuss why Miranda included it.
- Perspective Swap: Have students write a diary entry from a historical figure’s perspective in ELA, using facts learned in Social Studies.
- Fact or Fiction Game: Create a list of statements about a historical event. Have students label them “Fact” (from primary sources) or “Fiction” (from the musical’s dramatic license). Discuss why the fiction choices work dramatically.
We would love to hear your stories. If your students create something wonderful, please email us. Your ideas may end up on this page inspiring other Monterey County teachers.
We hope these team teaching ideas help you and your colleagues create powerful, connected learning experiences for your students. For additional primary source sets, visit the National Archives or the Library of Congress websites.