Hamilton and the Left
6th March 2025
Anyone wanting to take the pulse of progressive America can consult the opinion pages of the New York Times. That’s where, earlier this year, I found Ezekiel Kweku, one of the paper’s editors, complaining bitterly about Hamilton. A decade after the musical about America’s neglected founding father became a Broadway sensation, Kweku wants his readers to know that it has not aged well. Kweku’s critique repays attention, not only for its revisionist interpretation of a popular piece of political art, but also because it crystallises the dilemma facing the political Left in the (second) age of Trump. Kweku’s polemic is emblematic of the unease—if not outright resentment—with which the Left regards American patriotism. And until it outgrows that defect and embraces national solidarity and pride, the Democratic Party will continue to flail in the political wilderness.