History Vs. Broadway: Did the Real Aaron Burr Live by 'Wait for It'?
While the song distorts Burr's political aggressiveness, it captures his emotional interior with surprising precision. Miranda based substantial parts of Burr’s emotional world on his surviving correspondence with his daughter, Theodosia Burr Alston.
Burr's letters reveal a man intensely aware of mortality. He lost his parents and grandparents before he turned two years old. That early childhood trauma fostered a profound emotional self-reliance. In his personal writing, Burr frequently practiced a brand of emotional detachment that closely mirrors the lyrics of "Wait for It."
He was also exceptionally progressive for his era regarding his daughter's intellect. He educated Theodosia in Latin, Greek, political philosophy, and mathematics, demanding she read the works of Mary Wollstonecraft. When Burr sings about leaving a legacy for his child, the sentiment is entirely supported by the historical record. His letters to Theodosia during his political campaigns display tender devotion paired with cold calculations about reputation. The tragedy was that his genuine devotion to family was constantly undercut by his compulsive financial and territorial gambling.
