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Act 2: I Know Him
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hamilton, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Collaboration, Disagreement, and Democracy
Stories vs. History
Ambition and Mortality
Immigration and Diversity of Influence
Honor
Summary
Analysis
Soon President Adams fires Hamilton, calling him a “Creole bastard,” and Thomas Jefferson becomes Adams’s vice president. In response, Hamilton comes back with a rant, damaging both himself and Adams in the process. Jefferson and Madison celebrate that their path to power is now clear.
This xenophobic slur (especially coming from Adams, a member of the New England elite) acts as a reminder of the uphill battle immigrants have had to fight in the U.S., both then and now. Again, Hamilton’s hot-headedness gets him in trouble, whereas Jefferson and Madison’s alliance protects them both.
Themes
