In Hamilton, James Madison complains that “Hamilton’s new financial plan is nothing less than government control.” America’s Founding Fathers were far from united about fiscal policy; divergent approaches continue to shape contemporary politics.
Shows like Newsies, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and I Can Get It For You Wholesale chronicle major moments in US economic history.
Understand: the emphasis on economic autonomy and personal property that was espoused by many of America’s creators through these historical reviews.
Browse: the materials below highlighting key concepts for this week. You do not need to go through every resource in depth, but should ensure you understand each term – and its significance to US society – well enough to explain them in class.
Explore: America’s Gilded Age through the History article, then review a musical scene set in 1890, in which a group of lower-class workers fantasise about being part of the upper class. (We unfortunately cannot find a good copy of the full scene - but you can listen and read the lyrics, and get a sense of the visuals with the two excerpts.)
[CORNELIUS & BARNABY]
Yes, New York
It's really us
Barnaby and Cornelius
[IRENE & MINNIE]
All the guests of Mr. Hackl are
Feelin' great and look spectacular
[ALL]
What a knack
There is to that
Acting like a born aristocrat
We got elegance
If you ain't got elegance
You can never ever carry it off
[CORNELIUS]
All who are
Well-bred agree
Minnie Fay
Has pedigree
[IRENE]
Exercise your wildest whims tonight
We are out with diamond Jims tonight
[MINNIE]
Could they be
Misleading us?
[CORNELIUS & BARNABY]
Silver spoons were used for feeding us
We got elegance
If you ain't got elegance
[ALL]
You can never ever carry it off
Middle class
Don't speak of it
Savoir faire
We reek of it
Some were born with rags and patches but
We use dollar bills for matches and
[MINNIE]
Vanderbilt
Kowtows to us
[CORNELIUS]
J.P. Morgan scrapes and bows to us
[ALL]
We've got elegance
We were born with elegance
[CORNELIUS]
Have you noticed when I hold my cup
The saucer never moves?
[IRENE]
And the way I keep my pinky up
Indubitably proves
[ALL]
That we got elegance
We've got built in elegance
And with elegance
We'll carry it off!
Examine: how the labor movement in America is represented in musical theatre through this historical overview of the real-life strike that inspired Newsies, a show set at the end of the Gilded Age.
Highlight: the contradictions of the Roaring Twenties...post-war optimism amidst prohibition, the Harlem Renaissance alongside a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, and more.
Consider: musicals set in the 1920s, which include Chicago, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and The Drowsy Chaperone, as well as Thoroughly Modern Millie: the tale of a small girl coming to New York intending to take advantage of the economic boom and new opportunities for women.
Trace: the history of the Great Depression through this overview from History and quick video explainer.
Reflect: on the role that President Herbert Hoover (and public opinion about the US Government) played during the Great Depression through this article and a lesser-known song from Annie.
Complete: Anthem Analysis #7 by answering the questions below.
