Monday, March 28, 2011

Awesome Video for Social Studies Teachers

Lin-Manuel Miranda
Alexander Hamilton Rap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE)
Youtube clip from the official White House channel.

Summary: Alexander Hamilton overcome incredible hardship in his life to become the Treasury Secretary of the United States and one of our founding fathers. This rap, performed at a White House dinner, recounts his bravery and tenacity.

Intended Audience: General Public

Key Points: 1) Alexander Hamilton was not born with a silver spoon in his hand, 2) You can make something of yourself if you have the will to do so.

Relevance: I had to post this. It is directly relevant to social studies education. I wonder how many young, immigrant students, who have no family, or extreme family issues, believe that they have nothing in common with any of our founding fathers? I was inspired by this video. To be honest, I knew very little about the details of Hamilton's life until I watched it (all I knew was his utterly deplorable stance on the national bank, but that is beside the point).

Really, Hamilton was an immigrant, who was born to a prostitute, dealt with family death and suicide, and overcame extreme poverty to become one of the most influential men in our country's history. He practically invented the American Dream, and his story could be used to hook young and disinterested students into history. A video like this says, "Hey, look! Alexander Hamilton was a lot like you. Don't you want to make a difference too?"

2 comments:

  1. Awesome post! I too knew very little (like nothing) about Hamilton's past. I love the idea of bringing in multimedia, music, rap, etc. as instructional aides. What a cool/fun way to learn about something. Way more entertaining and memorable than a text book.

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  2. I love it! That is an awesome way to convey the message of a historical figure that came from impoverished beginnings, rose up, persevered and became somebody. It is time we came to realize more about who Hamilton was and what he did for this country. Aaron Burr can't keep a good man down! :)

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