In the spring semester of 1856, a 25-year-old student at Harvard Law named James Bradley Thayer submitted an entry into the school’s annual essay competition. Undoubtedly, he had the cash prize in mind. After all, Thayer did not descend from Boston’s patrician class that dominated Harvard; he had to fund his own education, given his […]
The Art of Biography: Wisdom from the Hamilton Musical
With the long-awaited return of Broadway, audiences are once again gazing in awe at its crown jewel: Hamilton. The blockbuster musical introduced to the world, as no biography ever had, the unlikely story of the Caribbean orphan-turned-American founder. Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda takes all the artistic liberties one would expect in a theatrical rendering of the […]
Alexander Hamilton and the Politics of Pandemic
A deadly virus suddenly claims thousands of lives. People cover their mouths with makeshift masks in a bid to avoid exposure. Anxious officials look for buildings to repurpose into provisional hospitals to accommodate the sudden surge of patients. Doctors on the front lines fall ill themselves; a number of these brave physicians lose their lives. Some commentators blame foreigners for […]
Life Behind the CV: A Case Study of an Unusual Legal Scholar
Academics forgo the term “resume” in favor of “curriculum vitae.” The CV refers to a list of degrees and accomplishments. But considering the Latin translation–“the course of life”–is the term too grand? The story of John Henry Wigmore suggests that “curriculum vitae” is not an overly grand term. Wigmore’s CV depicts a unique life path–as […]
