Hamilton Wiki
Register
Advertisement
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."
— George Washington


"One last time"

George Washington is a main character in the musical Hamilton. He is the first President of the United States and was portrayed by Christopher Jackson in the Original Broadway Cast.

George Washington portrait

Portrait of President George Washington

Biography[]

Act One[]

Washington made his first major appearance leading his men during the Revolutionary War. After leading many battles, he discovers he needs a right-hand man to help. He is first encountered by Aaron Burr, who believes he can be a suitable right-hand man, however, Washington pushes him away when he meets Alexander Hamilton. Washington was impressed by his work in the Revolutionary War when he stole British cannons, and Washington was one of the many that wanted Hamilton on his side, which Hamilton gladly accepted. ("Right Hand Man")

Now that Hamilton is his right-hand man, Washington is able to win many battles of the Revolutionary War. However, things start to go downhill once Laurens duels with General Lee with Hamilton as his second after Lee trashed Washington's name. Washington tries to compromise with Hamilton, though after a short argument, and by the request of his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, he sends Hamilton home ("Meet Me Inside").

Washington and his men now enter a tough situation in the Revolutionary War. In order to win, they need to ambush the British in Yorktown, take them out before they hit the coast, and Washington believes he needs Hamilton's help to do this, so he sends a letter to Hamilton's home, carried by Lafayette and it contained a request for Hamilton to rejoin the war detailing he would give Hamilton his own troops. ("Guns And Ships")

With Hamilton back in charge, Washington tells him about his past, how he lead his army into battle, only for them to be slaughtered. Then he wishes Hamilton off, telling him that history has its eyes on him ("History Has Its Eyes On You"), then goes off to lead his men into Yorktown. They defeat the British troops, winning the Revolutionary War ("Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down")

Washington then becomes the First President of the United States, and he chooses Hamilton to be the First Secretary of Treasury ("Non-Stop")

Act Two[]

Washington, now the president, must come up with a good government to keep America going strong, so he holds a cabinet battle, where Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, having returned from Paris, face off to see if Hamilton's ideal government is worth pursuing. After the battle begins to fall apart, Washington separates the opponents and speaks to Hamilton. Washington believes that Hamilton needs to get the people to vote for him, while Hamilton believes otherwise, to which Washington tells him to “Figure it out, Alexander”. ("Cabinet Battle #1")

Washington then calls another cabinet battle, this time to see if the people should help the French with their revolution against the British. Jefferson believes they should because the French helped the colonists during the Revolutionary War, so to help them is what friends do; however Hamilton believes America is too delicate to get involved in a battle, to which Washington agrees wholeheartedly. ("Cabinet Battle #2")

Later on, Washington believes that America can't progress with him remaining as president, so he decides to step down for the sake of his country that he built, much to the dismay of Hamilton and the people. Now with Jefferson and John Adams running for president, Washington goes back to live in Mount Vernon for the rest of his days. ("One Last Time")

Trivia[]

  • George and Martha Washington had no children. Despite this, there were always children at his home, Mount Vernon. Together, they raised Martha's two children from a previous marriage as well several nieces and nephews along with four step grandchildren. Washington always treated Alexander has the son he never had (Stay Alive), a fact that Hamilton hated and even complained about it to his father in law, Philip Schuyler. This was slightly ironical, as Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, his wife, was like a surrogate daughter to Martha Washington and she relished the older woman's company.
  • Unlike the fashion trends of his time, George Washington did not wear a wig. The ponytail and the impeccable curls were his own natural hair. A huge amount of powder was used to turn his natural brown hair into white. Therefore, he kept his ponytail in a silk pouch, in order to keep the powder from smearing across his back when he was dancing with ladies- something he loved to do!
  • When George Washington passed away in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte personally gave a eulogy and ordered a ten day requiem. In Great Britain, the entire Royal Navy lowered its flags at half mast as a sign of respect for the General of the New World.
  • Lin-Manuel originally wrote a song for Act Two called "One Last Ride (Reprise)" describing Washington's death, but it was cut from the Broadway version.


Gallery[]

Click here

Advertisement