In the 2000s, when Hamilton was beginning to be written, the country was divisive on the situation of immigration, as it still is today and had been for many years prior (Hipsman). Particularly following 9/11 and the Iraqi war, foreigners became deeply unwelcomed on American soil, particularly those of Arab descent. Racism and microaggressions became rampant in everyday life, and the United States issued a new Immigration Policy that cracked down on border security and removed unauthorized immigrants who were criminals from the nation to protect from terrorist attacks ("Post-9/11").

       With Obama taking office right as Lin-Manuel began his writing process, things were looking up for immigration rights (along with minority rights, social welfare, etc.). But the divisive nature of the issue allowed for very little government work to be done on it (Sakuma). That being said, Obama's success with DACA (Deferred Action for Children Arrivals), which provided more than 800,000 young unauthorized immigrants protection from deportation, was a win for immigration following Bush’s reign. Yet, Obama was criticized by many groups for allowing over 2 million deportations during his time in office (Sakuma), partly due to a bipartisan Senate plan that was stalled in the House of Representatives. 

       As of 2016, more than 43.7 million immigrants resided in the United States, which is 14% of the U.S. population. They also accounted for 17% of the “civilian labor force” (Hipsman) yet “no single federal entity has been designated to lead the creation, implementation, and coordination of a national immigrant integration capability” (Els 106). Thus, immigrants have been and are set up to fail. They are not afforded the same opportunities and have many more constraints than white, Americen-born citizens (Massey).

       In addition to immigration issues, the early 2000s, were, and still are, dealing with tense race relations. In the summer of 2015, the night before Hamilton hit the Broadway stage, a white supremacist killed nine black members of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina (Miranda 208). In addition, the high percentage of police brutality against Black Americans (particularly young, black men such as Tamir Rice and Michael Brown) inspired a greater need in some communities to stand up and fight (Lee).