One Day University Brings Hamilton vs Jefferson to Ridgefield Playhouse

One Day University Brings “Hamilton vs Jefferson” To The Ridgefield Playhouse on June 24! Boomers and retirees flock to one-off talks by nation’s top professors!

With the smash-hit success of the Broadway musical about him, Alexander Hamilton is experiencing a well-deserved revival! Often forced to take a back seat to other Founding Fathers, his vision of America as an economic powerhouse with a dynamic and aggressive government as its engine has found many followers. Don’t miss this chance to learn more at a special One Day University event: Hamilton vs. Jefferson – the rivalry that shaped America on Sunday, June 24 at 10am, part of the HamletHub Whole New You Series and Hearst Entertaining Conversations Series. Louis Masur, Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University, will present the lecture.

Hamilton helped get the Constitution ratified, helped found the Federalist Party, and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury. An orphan born in the West Indies, he was like a son to George Washington and perhaps should have been like a brother to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson fought bitterly against the Federalists and his election as president ushered in the “revolution of 1800.” Ironically, it would be Hamilton who helped assure Jefferson’s triumph over Aaron Burr. Jefferson articulated a different vision from Hamilton’s, promoting an agrarian democracy built upon geographic expansion—an “empire of liberty,” he called it. In 1793, he would resign as Secretary of State to protest Hamilton’s policies. In retirement, Jefferson would reflect on the differences between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans and express fear for the future of the new nation.

Louis Masur is a Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He received outstanding teaching awards from Rutgers, Trinity College, and the City College of New York, and won the Clive Prize for Excellence in Teaching from Harvard University. He is the author of many books including “Lincoln’s Last Speech,” which was inspired by a talk he presented at One Day University. His essays and articles have appeared in theNew York Times, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, and Chicago Tribune. He is an elected member of the American Antiquarian Society and serves on the Historians’ Council of the Gettysburg Foundation.

Since its launch in 2007, One Day University has grown from a single half-day event in New York City to a series of 200 full- and half-day programs in 61 cities around the country. Co-Director Steven Schragis calls what One Day U offers “edutainment,” a kind of highly accessible performance art that invites scholars to unleash their ability to entertain and listeners to sit back, relax, and open their minds. The company scours the country’s best schools to find presenters. They look for professors whose lectures are standing-room-only and whose student ratings are through the roof. The Professors are invited to present one-session, highlights-reel versions of their most oversubscribed courses to an educated, well-heeled audience eager to enjoy the benefits of college without any of the burdens. Of all the classes One Day U presents, the current top favorite is Rutgers Professor Louis Masur's Hamilton vs Jefferson: The Rivalry That Shaped America. According to Schragis, this class was always well received - but since the Broadway show Hamilton opened it shot up to number one! Professor Masur is even known to begin the lecture with a short one minute "rap" of his own! 

For tickets ($89) visit OneDayU.com or ridgefieldplayhouse.org  The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.