Broadway hit Hamilton, Chernow honored with 2025 Liberty Medal
The National Constitution Center has awarded the 37th annual Liberty Medal to the beloved Broadway hit, Hamilton, and the acclaimed historian and biographer, Ron Chernow in a ceremony held on Oct. 17, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Hamilton marks its 10th anniversary this year, and Chernow’s book, Alexander Hamilton, inspired the musical.
The event featured a fireside chat between Chernow and NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, and included performances from Philadelphia native Ta’Rea Campbell, who played Angelica Schuyler in the national tour of Hamilton for five years, and Heather Leslie Sanchez, a senior at Piscataway Magnet School, the 2024-2025 Hamilton Education Program competition winner.
“With its catchy tunes and memorable lyrics, the Hamilton musical has inspired millions in theaters, homes, classrooms, and beyond, to love American history and to learn more about our Founding ideals," said Rosen. “Together, Hamilton the musical and Hamilton the biography show the power of history in shaping American culture and sparking civic imagination.”
“The working of honoring and explicating the Constitution begun by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay in the Federalist papers is now gallantly carried on at this Center by Jeffrey Rosen and his excellent staff,” Chernow remarked after receiving the medal. “Thank you all for your contributions to the Constitution.”
Ron Chernow is a masterful storyteller of American history, brings our nation’s past vividly to life through his award-winning biographies of extraordinary figures. His debut, The House of Morgan, received the National Book Award, while Washington: A Life earned the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. His celebrated Alexander Hamilton won the George Washington Book Prize.
Hamilton has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards, it has won Grammy and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Hamilton features a book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire.
“Very rarely has a book gripped me as Ron Chernow's account of Hamilton. It made me think, ‘how has no one turned this story into a musical yet?'’ I'll always be grateful to Ron for that,” said Miranda, who offered recorded video remarks during the ceremony.
Established in Philadelphia in 1988 to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, the Liberty Medal was first administered by the National Constitution Center in 2006, honoring men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.
The Liberty Medal’s roster of recipients includes many of the men, women, and organizations that have shaped and guided the world through the past three decades, including Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nelson Mandela, Sandra Day O’Connor, Kofi Annan, Malala Yousafzai, and Colin Powell. Capturing the attention of millions every year, the Liberty Medal is a tribute to citizenship and America’s constitutional ideals.
For more about the event, go to constitutioncenter.org/liberty-medal