Stephanie Kraus
Lin-Manuel
Miranda
Consultants
Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Lori Oczkus, M.A.
Literacy Consultant
Publishing Credits
Rachelle Cracchiolo , M.S.Ed ., Publisher
Conni Medina , M.A.Ed., Managing Editor
Dona Herweck Rice , Series Developer
Emily R. Smith , M.A.Ed., Content Director
Seth Rogers/Noelle Cristea , M.A.Ed., Editors
Robin Erickson , Senior Graphic Designer
The TIME logo is a registered trademark of TIME Inc. Used under license.
Image Credits: Cover and p.1 (front) John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation, (back) Theo Wargo/WireImage/Getty Images; Readers
Guide page William Thomas Cain/Getty Images; p.2 Shahar Azran/
WireImage/Getty Images; p.4 (left) REUTERSAlamy Stock Photo, (right)
Courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda; p.5 United States Government/Public
Domain; p.6 Courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda; p.7 (left) The Advertising
ArchivesAlamy Stock Photo, (center) Black StarAlamy Stock Photo,
(right) moviesAlamy Stock Photo; p.9 Courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda;
pp.1011 Joe Mabel; p.11 Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images; p.13
Brent N. Clarke/Getty Images; p.14 Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock
Photo; p.18 Walter McBride/Getty Images; p.19 Neilson Barnard/Getty
Images; p.21 Walter McBride/Getty Images; pp.2425 REUTERS/Alamy
Stock Photo; p.26 Walter McBride/WireImage/Getty Images; p.29 and
back page The Pulitzer Prizes/Columbia University; all other images
from iStock and/or Shutterstock.
All companies mentioned in this book are registered trademarks
of their respective owners or developers and are used in this book
strictly for editorial purposes. No commercial claim to their use is
made by the author or the publisher.
Teacher Created Materials
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ISBN 978-1-4938-3930-8
2017 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Synched Read-Along Version by:
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ISBN-13: 978-1-68444-888-3 (e-book)
Rewriting History .................... 4
Raised on Hip-Hop and Broadway ....... 6
Climbing to New Heights ............. 10
Hamilton in the Making ............... 12
Giving Back ........................ 20
Building a Legacy ................... 24
Glossary ........................... 28
Index ............................. 29
Check It Out! ....................... 30
Try It! ............................. 31
About the Author ....................
Table of Contents
Rewriting History
Presidential Praise
First Lady Michelle Obama called
Hamilton the best piece of art in any
form that I have ever seen in my life .
President Barack Obama said , The rst
thing we thought about was what could
we do to encourage this kind of creativity
in teaching history to our kids .
Lin-Manuel Miranda was casually looking around
a bookstore one day when he came across Alexander
Hamilton by Ron Chernow . He bought the bestselling
biography and began reading it on vacation in Mexico.
After a few chapters , Miranda was hooked . The book
describes how Hamilton , an orphan from the Caribbean ,
wrote his way out of poverty and overcame all odds to
help shape a new nation . Miranda was inspired . He wanted
to bring the Founding Fathers journey to life in a new
way . He started rewriting
the story this time as a
rap and hip-hop musical .
The Room Where It Happened
In 2009 , just one year after Mirandas vacation , the
White House held its rst ever Evening of Poetry , Music ,
and the Spoken Word . Miranda was invited to perform . He
thought it was the perfect time to try out one of his songs
from The Hamilton Mixtape , which he would later rename
Hamilton : An American Musical . [ Its ] about the life of
somebody who embodies hip-hop , Treasury Secretary
Alexander Hamilton , Miranda joked with the room .
The crowd laughed at the idea , but by the end of the
song , they were giving him a standing
ovation . Now , Hamilton is one of the
most successful musicals of all time .
And Miranda is the creative genius
behind it .
Raised on Hip-Hop
A Young Ham
Miranda started taking piano lessons when
he was six . At his rst recital , Miranda heard
the applause and wanted to stay on the stage .
After the fourth round , the teacher gently
pushed him off the piano so other kids could
play , Luis Miranda told the New York Times .
and Broadway
Miranda was born on January , 1980 , in New
York City . He was raised in Inwood , a mostly Hispanic
neighborhood on the northern tip of Manhattan . His
mother , Luz Towns-Miranda , was a clinical psychologist .
His father , Luis A. Miranda Jr. , worked in politics . He
served as an advisor to New York City Mayor Ed Koch
and became well known in the Latino community . His
parents , both born in Puerto Rico , often
returned to the island with Lin-Manuel
during the summer months .
Luis Miranda loved musical theater , but the family
didnt have the money to see many shows . However , a
young Lin-Manuel was able to see Les Misrables , Cats ,
and The Phantom of the Opera or , as he calls them , the
holy trinity . He says his family home was lled with
show tunes and salsa music . Mirandas school bus driver
happened to love rap . His daily bus rides were one place
where Miranda learned many rap lyrics growing up .