Thursday (Jan. 6) marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump disrupted the electoral vote certification by violently clashing with law enforcement and sending the Capitol into lockdown.
On the anniversary of the historic event, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden moderated a conversation between historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, to discuss pivotal periods in American history and what it means moving forward.
To kick off the insightful conversation, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi introduced Lin-Manuel Miranda, whom she described as “one of the great creative talents of our time.”
“A new year brings hope for the future, new energy to face the tasks ahead of us and a renewed promise to strengthen the foundations of our democracy,” Miranda said as he appeared onscreen behind Pelosi. “We’re all stewards of the American experiment, working to pass down to our children and our grandchildren a more perfect union that treats all its citizens with fairness and equity. We should never take our rights and liberties for granted and we must remain committed to finding a way forward together. That’s what I wrote about in the song ‘Dear Theodosia’ from Hamilton. I believe no challenge is worth abandoning our efforts to unite as Americans. We’ll keep working, generation after generation, until we reach that someday.”
Following his powerful words, a number of Hamilton cast members delivered a heartfelt performance of “Dear Theodosia,” which includes fitting lyrics about building a better future for the young generations of Americans. “If we lay a strong enough foundation / We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you,” the group sang in the chorus.
Watch the full conversation below, with the Hamilton introduction and performance beginning at the eight-minute mark.
