Hamilton (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hamilton deliberately aimed his pistol away from Burr and didn't fire. Several factors contributed to this choice: his religious beliefs opposed dueling as sinful, he wanted to die with honor rather than kill Burr and become a murderer, and he hoped his death would secure his legacy and allow Eliza to tell his story. His famous line 'I should have been dead long ago' suggests he had made peace with dying and wanted his legacy to be shaped by his wife rather than by a violent act.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the musical, Hamilton repeatedly declares he will 'throw away my shot', his final decision literally fulfills this phrase.

• hamilton
• burr
• duel
• throw away my shot
• weehawken
• legacy

Hamilton became involved with Maria Reynolds in 1791 after meeting her when she sought his help with a personal matter. The affair occurred during a period when Hamilton was stressed from political battles and felt emotionally distant from Eliza, who was spending time upstate with Angelica. Maria manipulated Hamilton into paying her husband James Reynolds blackmail money, threatening to expose the affair and ruin his political career.

Foreshadowing: The song 'Say No to This' foreshadows the moral compromise to come, with Hamilton acknowledging his weakness before the affair begins.

• maria reynolds
• affair
• scandal
• blackmail
• james reynolds

Hamilton published the Reynolds Pamphlet in 1797 to clear his name after Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe accused him of using Treasury funds for personal expenses. Rather than admit to the affair and lose political credibility for moral reasons, Hamilton chose to publicly detail the entire affair to prove he had only used his own money, not government funds. The decision devastated his marriage and political standing, though he was legally cleared.

Foreshadowing: The musical hints at Hamilton's pattern of choosing political survival over personal relationships throughout the story.

• reynolds pamphlet
• affair
• jefferson
• monroe
• confession

Washington recognized Hamilton's exceptional intellectual abilities and believed he could contribute more to the revolutionary cause through strategic thinking and writing rather than direct combat. Despite Hamilton's frustration and desire for battlefield glory, Washington appointed him as an aide-de-camp, a role that placed Hamilton at the center of military strategy and eventually led to his importance in shaping the nation's founding documents.

Foreshadowing: The song 'My Shot' establishes Hamilton's ambition for greatness, which Washington acknowledges by keeping him close.

• washington
• aide-de-camp
• revolutionary war
• military
• appointment

Angelica married Philip Schuyler primarily to remain in America and stay close to Hamilton, whom she loved deeply but could not marry because he chose Eliza. By marrying into the same family (Philip Schuyler was Eliza's father), Angelica ensured she would remain part of Hamilton's life. Her marriage was one of convenience driven by her unrequited love for Hamilton.

Foreshadowing: Angelica's lyrics in 'Helpless' and 'The Schuyler Sisters' reveal her immediate attraction to Hamilton and her self-sacrificing nature.

• angelica
• schuyler
• marriage
• eliza
• unrequited love

Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel in 1804 after years of political rivalry, driven by personal grievances. Burr believed Hamilton had systematically destroyed his political career by speaking against him and opposing his 1804 presidential run against Jefferson. The election loss and Hamilton's perceived role in discrediting him led Burr to seek satisfaction through a duel, though Burr later claimed he didn't intend to fire.

Foreshadowing: The musical establishes their rivalry from their first meeting, where Burr advises Hamilton to 'talk less, smile more', advice Hamilton never follows.

• burr
• duel
• rivalry
• politics
• 1804
• weehawken

Philip Hamilton died in 1801 at age 19 in a duel with George Eacker, who had criticized Philip's father in a speech. Philip challenged Eacker to defend Hamilton's honor, mirroring his father's own dueling history. During the duel at Weehawken (the same location where Hamilton would later die), Philip was shot and died the next day. The tragedy led to Hamilton and Eliza reconciling after their estrangement following the Reynolds scandal.

Foreshadowing: The musical explicitly parallels Philip's fate with Hamilton's, showing the destructive cycle of dueling honor.

• philip
• duel
• eacker
• death
• son
• weehawken

Hamilton and Jefferson represented fundamentally opposing visions for America. Hamilton believed in a strong federal government with centralized power, while Jefferson championed states' rights and agrarian democracy. Their clashes in Washington's Cabinet, debates over the national bank, and Hamilton's financial plans created intense personal and political hostility. Jefferson also resented Hamilton's foreign policy preferences and viewed him as monarchist-leaning.

Foreshadowing: The musical establishes their ideological divide in 'Cabinet Battle #1' and '#2', showing how their conflicting visions made cooperation impossible.

• jefferson
• hamilton
• rivalry
• debates
• cabinet
• bank
• national debt

Hamilton initiated and co-authored The Federalist Papers (85 essays) primarily to advocate for ratifying the U.S. Constitution in New York, where opposition was strong. Though Madison and Jay contributed, Hamilton wrote the majority of the essays and organized the project. The work established Hamilton as a brilliant political theorist and directly furthered his goal of creating a strong federal government.

Foreshadowing: The musical shows Hamilton's ambition to 'rise up' and be recognized, which The Federalist Papers accomplished.

• federalist papers
• constitution
• ratification
• writing
• legacy

The final song asks who controls historical legacy, those who live to see their story told, those who die in obscurity, and those who control the narrative after death. Eliza takes on the role of Hamilton's storyteller, living decades longer to preserve his legacy through her memoir and charitable work. The song acknowledges that history is shaped not just by actions, but by who survives to tell the tale.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the musical, Hamilton declares his intent to 'write his way out' and achieve immortality through his legacy.

• who lives who dies
• ending
• legacy
• eliza
• story
• history
• tribute

In the contested 1800 election, Hamilton initially preferred Jefferson over Burr despite their disagreements, because he viewed Jefferson as having more principled (if wrong) beliefs about government, while he saw Burr as having no political principles at all. Hamilton's endorsement of Jefferson over Burr contributed to Burr's loss and intensified Burr's personal vendetta against him.

Foreshadowing: This decision directly plants the seeds for Burr's later hatred of Hamilton and the ultimate duel.

• burr
• jefferson
• election
• vice president
• 1800
• political rivalry

Beyond the moral and religious reasons, Hamilton had resolved before the duel to waste his shot by firing into the air, essentially committing symbolic suicide rather than murder. He told his seconds beforehand that he would not aim at Burr. This decision came from his moral opposition to killing, his guilt over previous duels, and his belief that his death would be more meaningful to his legacy than Burr's.

Foreshadowing: Hamilton's earlier duels (supporting Laurens against Lee) and his son Philip's death established the tragic pattern he ultimately breaks.

• duel
• pistol
• fatal
• weehawken
• intentional
• not firing