"Hamilton" wins a Pulitzer and Twitter finally explodes with joy rather than rage

As the Pulitzer celebrates its centennial, social media celebrates the genre-defying history lesson's big win

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published April 18, 2016 8:09PM (EDT)

"Hamilton" music director Alex Lacamoire and creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda accept the Grammy for best musical theater album with the cast. (CBS)
"Hamilton" music director Alex Lacamoire and creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda accept the Grammy for best musical theater album with the cast. (CBS)

America's most heralded new Broadway sensation is now a Pulitzer Prize winner and its biggest fans on social media are predictably freaking out with joy.

"Hamilton,"a thrilling hip-hop musical that retells the story of one of the nation's founding fathers, was announced as the 2016 Pulitzer winner for drama on Monday. Its seemingly ubiquitous composer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda quickly reacted to the news on Twitter:

“It is a tremendous honor to even be considered for this very prestigious award," Miranda, already a Grammy winner and a McArthur Foundation “genius” grant recipient, said in a statement.

Quiara [Alegria Hudes] and I were elated to have been recognized as finalists for In The Heights, so to win today for Hamilton is beyond my wildest dreams. This award is for everyone who has been a part of Hamilton’s six plus year journey.  To be the ninth musical to ever win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in its 100 year history is truly humbling for all of us.  For Hamilton to now be in the same company as Of Thee I SingSouth PacificFiorello!, How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingA Chorus LineSunday in the Park with GeorgeRent, and most recently Next to Normal is outside of our own comprehension. Look at where we are. Look at where we started.

As other winners of the 100th annual Pulitzer were celebrated on various social media platforms, praise for "Hamilton" seemed to suck all the attention on Twitter as  #YayHamilton began trending late Monday afternoon:

And Twitter wouldn't be Twitter without the usual snark:

Bonus: Watch Lin-Manuel tell NBC News' Lester Holt about his hopes for "Hamilton" to serve as an accessible history lesson for today's schoolchildren:


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

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Hamilton Pulitzer Twitter Video