Hamilton Inspires Library of Congress to Digitize 12,000 Hamilton Documents

Thanks to the hit Broadway musical Hamilton and the popular demand it has inspired for all things Alexander Hamilton, the Library of Congress has digitized its collection of documents written by the founding father.

Approximately 12,000 Hamilton documents are now available in the library's online catalog. The collection includes a letter written by a 12-year-old Hamilton during his time as a clerk in a trader's office on the docks in St. Croix, notes for a draft of George Washington's 1796 farewell address, and the letter he wrote to his wife, Eliza, the day before his famous duel with Aaron Burr, which includes the quote used in the musical, "Adieu, best of wives and best of women."

The collection is organized into the following eight series: General Correspondence, 1734-1804; Speeches and Writings, 1778-1804; Legal File, 1708-1804; Financial Papers, 1782-1804; Family Papers, 1737-1917; Miscellany, 1711-1820; 1998 Addition, 1780-1820; and 2017 Addition, 1790-1804.

To view the collection, click here.

Hamilton has been running at the Richard Rodgers Theatre since July 13, 2015. With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and music direction and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow's biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The musical tells the story of Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War, and was the new nation's first treasury secretary. Hamilton won a record-breaking 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Score, Book of a Musical, Direction of a Musical, Choreography, and Orchestrations.

For tickets and more information, click here.