Starting Sunday, March 17, Nova Southeastern University Alvin Sherman Library will host the Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant, Patriot, Visionary exhibit in the Adolfo and Marisela Cotilla Gallery on the second floor. This exhibit will remain on campus until Monday, April 15. The exhibit features legal texts written by Hamilton, Acts of Congress and Parliament, continental currency and newspapers from the time period.
Among the artifacts on display will be a legal text owned by Hamilton that he repeatedly cited in this Farmer Refuted essays and also include his notes on the Rutger v. Waddington case that helped to establish judicial review and federal supremacy before the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
According to Nora Quinlan, the director of reference at the Alvin Sherman Library, “The exhibit is featuring materials from different collectors who have an interest in Hamilton and the materials on display will be books, maps and other documents that either influenced Alexander Hamilton or were works that he through his legal research created. [The exhibit] is a small travelling exhibit and in addition to that exhibit which tells the life story of Alexander Hamilton, we will have additional materials from collectors relating to Hamilton and his work. ”
The kickoff for the Alexander Hamilton: Immigrant, Patriot, Visionary exhibit will be on March 17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Cotilla gallery and will be presented by Adam Levinson. Levinson is the founder of statutesandstories.com, a free history blog that is dedicated to “sharing historic statutes, law books and insights” and “raising historically relevant questions for further research,” according to the organization’s mission statement.
“People need to to place a historical figure in their time and right now Alexander Hamilton is receiving a lot of attention, mostly because of the musical, and that musical has done an incredible amount to bring attention Hamilton but we want to add some more background or people who might have enjoyed the musical [or are looking for information on his life],”said Quinlan.
According to the Alvin Sherman Library program release, “The talk will explore Hamilton’s extraordinary legal legacy, including Hamilton’s reports to Congress as the nation’s first Secretary of Treasury. While many musical fans are increasingly familiar with Hamilton’s role as Secretary of Treasury, the Hamilton musical does not fully explore Hamilton’s legal career.”
“Current events are tied to the lives of our historical figures.These aren’t just people in textbooks, they had lives and their lives impact us today. Alexander Hamilton created what is today our financial system here in the United States. Why do we have federal reserve? Why do we have a banking system the way it is set up today? It’s because of Alexander Hamilton,” said Quinlan.
