Heather Cook | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Heather Cook
Title: ‘Obnoxious and Disliked’ and the ‘Bastard Orphan:’ 1776 and Hamilton’s Role in Shaping Individuals’ Knowledge of John Adams’s and Alexander Hamilton’s Contribution to the Creation of the American Standards of Governance
Majors: History; Political Science
Minor: Religious Studies
Advisors: Beatrice Adams; Megan Wrobel

From the Founding Fathers to the “obnoxious and disliked” John Adams and the “bastard orphan” Alexander Hamilton, this project examines how individuals perceive and understand the political contributions of Adams and Hamilton through the lens of 1776 and Hamilton: An American Musical. This Independent Study draws on historical scholarship about the American Revolution, biographical works on Adams and Hamilton, primary media sources (Hamilton and 1776), and political science research on political knowledge, education, perception, and film. It investigates what individuals know and perceive about Adams’s and Hamilton’s roles in shaping American governance, and how those perceptions shift after viewing the musicals. To better understand political actions today—especially those grounded in interpretations of the Founders’ intent—it is essential to analyze how individuals comprehend the political legacies of Adams and Hamilton, how those perceptions align or conflict with historical reality, and how popular media influences that understanding.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.