Research casts doubt on Hamilton’s abolitionist image

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new research paper takes a swipe at the popular image of Alexander Hamilton as the abolitionist founding father, citing evidence he was a slave trader and owner himself.

“Not only did Alexander Hamilton enslave people, but his involvement in the institution of slavery was essential to his identity, both personally and professionally,” Jessie Serfilippi, an interpreter at a New York state historic site, wrote in a paper published last month.

Hamilton is depicted as an abolitionist in popular modern works, such as Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography “Hamilton” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning show.

But Serfilippi, who works at the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site in Albany, concluded after poring over ledgers and correspondence of Hamilton and his wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, that the image falls short.

“It is vital that the myth of Hamilton as ‘the Abolitionist Founding Father’ end,” Serfilippi writes in the paper, titled, “‘As Odious and Immoral a Thing’: Alexander Hamilton’s Hidden History as an Enslaver.” Her research was published on the New York state park system website.

The paper adds to a concern voiced by many academics that the Hamilton of the musical, who attacks slavery in a rap battle with Thomas Jefferson, is fictitious.

“Fascinating article,” tweeted Harvard Law professor and historian Annette Gordon-Reed, who has criticized the Broadway show in the past. “Reminds of the ubiquitous nature of slavery in the colonial period and the early American republic. Alexander Hamilton as an enslaver broadens the discussion.”

Chernow called the paper a “terrific research job that broadens our sense of Hamilton’s involvement in slavery in a number of ways.” But he questioned her argument that slavery was “essential to his identity” and said Serfilippi omitted information that would contradict her conclusions.

For example, Chernow noted Hamilton’s work with the Manumission Society to abolish slavery in New York and his efforts to defend free Blacks when slave masters from out of state tried to snatch them off New York streets.

“Had she tried to reconcile these important new findings with a full and fair statement of Hamilton’s anti-slavery activities, we would have gotten a large and complex view of the man and her paper would have been far more persuasive,” Chernow said via email.

Miranda declined to comment through his publicist. In past interviews, he’s said he welcomes discussion of both Hamilton’s role in slavery and criticism of his show’s handling of that part of his life.

When Hamilton married into the Schuyler family in 1780, slavery was common among New York state’s elite. More than 40 people were enslaved at the Schuyler family’s Albany mansion and another estate over the years. The historic site has done extensive research into the family’s socalled servants and incorporates it into its tours.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan ordered the removal of the Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler statue earlier this year in part because he was “reportedly the largest owner of enslaved people in Albany during his time,” according to the mayor’s office.