On that same fateful evening in the Broadway musical, Angelica is shown introducing Alexander to Eliza, later regretting she didn’t take him for herself. Photo credit: Theo Wargo - Getty Images There was definitely real chemistry between Alexander and Angelica, though Angelica’s true feelings remain unknown. It was at the party in 1780 when Eliza and Alexander reconnected, sparked a courtship, and married soon after. But it was not the first time the duo met.Īccording to Biography, they had first met two years prior at the Schuyler home in Albany, possibly due to Philip Schuyler and Alexander’s mutual political connections. The famous evening party when Alexander and Eliza meet, as depicted in “Helpless,” did in fact take place in reality. Yes, Angelica eloped and moved overseas with her husband, as Hamilton depicts, but according to the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, a total of four Schuyler children chose to elope.Ĭatherine, Philip Jeremiah, and Cornelia also eloped-with Cornelia’s husband writing, “She leapt from a Two Story Window into my arms and abandoning every thing for me gave the most convincing proof of what a husband most Desire to Know that his wife Loves him." Eliza and Alexander actually met two years before the “Helpless” ball.Īlthough Hamilton describes Eliza and Alexander’s love as nearly instantaneous, that wasn’t quite the case. In fact, it would seem hopeless romanticism (and rebelliousness) ran in the Schuylers’ DNA. Angelica was not the only Schuyler child who eloped. In recent weeks, this controversy has led Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan to order the removal of a statue of the general from in front of Albany City Hall, according to the Times Union. But he was also a prominent slave owner who believed abolition to be too large an inconvenience for slave owners.Īs Ian Mumpton wrote for the official blog of the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, “Philip Schuyler had little interest in abolition outside of the political capital to be gained as more and more politicians embraced the idea (in theory if not in their daily lives) … Even at the time of his death in November of 1804, at least seven people, including three children, still labored in slavery at his estate in Albany.” senator, and businessman, much beloved and respected by his community. Schuyler, father to Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy, was a Revolutionary War general, U.S. Story continues The Schuyler family was not as progressive as Hamilton might make them seem. As such, at the start of the 1700s, 93% of women in the Northeast were married.” Describes a contributor to the Hudson River Maritime Museum blog, “An adult woman’s power came from the influence she had over her spouse, and the influence she had over the next generation through the training of her sons. Nevertheless, it stands that Angelica would perhaps want a spouse with more influence and worldly experience than Alexander. The couple had 15 children in total, though only the eight above survived childhood. Their parents, Catharine Van Rensselaer Schuyler and Philip Schuyler, also had three sons who lived to adulthood: John Bradstreet Schuyler, Philip Jeremiah Schuyler, and Rensselaer Schuyler. Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy were three of five sisters who lived to adulthood, along with Cornelia and Catharine Schuyler. In “Satisfied,” Angelica sings, “My father has no sons, so I’m the one who has to social climb for one,” thus justifying her need to marry rich (and therefore not marry penniless Alexander).īut this line is, in fact, totally untrue and likely included for narrative convenience.
![angelica eliza and peggy angelica eliza and peggy](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/6c691279-ed64-437c-9f68-df3b28815168/dc72qmb-73dbab4a-8cfb-4ff6-aec5-17f9044b7c03.png)
Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy weren’t the only Schuyler children.