Hamilton almost featured a song dedicated to George Washington's death, but it was cut from the final production. Lin-Manuel Miranda portrayed the titular Founding Father in addition to creating the award-winning musical. Christopher Jackson notably played the first President of the United States and was in the role for the Disney+ version of the hit musical. Though the historical figure was present for a handful of key performances, a handful of details about Washington's life was intentionally left out, including his death.
While Hamilton primarily focused on Alexander Hamilton's journey after he arrived in New York in 1776, it also featured notable figures who shaped the nation during the Revolutionary War. In the first act of the musical, Hamilton was hired as Washington's "Right Hand Man" ahead of key battles. Following the Siege of Yorktown, Washington was elected as the first President years later. He kept up his political relationship with Hamilton in the second act, urging the man to win over Congress before agreeing to stay neutral in the conflict between France and Britain. Not long after, Washington stepped down from his Presidency and was replaced by John Adams.
Hamilton notably left out a lot of Washington's complicated history. The man's past regarding his slave ownership was purposely exised, as was his family. The musical also presented a father-son dynamic between Washington and Hamilton, but that wasn't the case in real life. According to Miranda, a certain song was developed for Hamilton, which centered on Washington's death in 1799. The song, "One Last Ride Reprise", borrowed elements of Washington's "One Last Time", a song featured in the second act. Miranda shared some of the lyrics (via Twitter), describing the public's "wailing in the streets" and grief felt following the former president's death. Despite the relevance to the character, Miranda felt like there wasn't enough time to keep it in the musical.
George Washington's Death Didn't Push The Plot Forward
Two years after Washington's presidency came to an end, he died from a throat infection. His health deteriorated quickly, and his death was unexpected in 1799. Granted, the news didn't propel Hamilton's plot because the character's arc came to a conclusion after his term ended. By that point in the second act, Hamilton's reputation was in focus, as were the events leading up to his duel with Aaron Burr.
Had "One Last Ride Reprise" been included, it would have come after "Dear Theodosia Reprise," another cut song. Based on the plot, Washington's death song would have fit in the latter half of the second act, which would be just prior to the duel between Hamilton and Burr. Miranda probably made the right choice in cutting the song since Washington's death wasn't too impactful to the plot. The other historical deaths in Hamilton were consequences of duels, but more importantly, they had dire effects on the progression of the plot.