The songs portray discussions in the cabinet of the administration of George Washington (played by Christopher Jackson in the original cast) in the style of rap battles between Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) and U.S. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs), with U.S. Representative James Madison (Okieriete Onaodowan) occasionally assisting Jefferson.
"Cabinet Battle #3" was cut from the final version, but Lin-Manuel Miranda's demo track of that song was ultimately released on The Hamilton Mixtape.
George Washington begins the song by explaining the issue before them: whether or not to adopt Hamilton's proposal of assuming state's debts and establishing a national bank.
Jefferson, an avid supporter of state government and individual rights, quotes himself to emphasize those values that he holds dear.
As he closes, Jefferson references the British Intolerable Acts and the Boston Tea Party to highlight his foreshadowing of the Whiskey Rebellion.
As part of Hamilton's Report, a tax on whiskey became law in 1791, and was intended to generate revenue to help reduce the national debt.
[5] Hamilton begins his rebuttal by accusing Jefferson of being out of touch with the American public, due to his time in France and at his plantation in Monticello, Virginia.
Like "Cabinet Battle #1", this track again starts with George Washington informing the audience of the main issue: whether to give aid to France during the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 and their potential war with Britain.
Jefferson and Madison start the rap battle by reminding the cabinet that France aided the American Revolutionaries during their hour of need.
Jefferson also argues that because the Americans signed a treaty between themselves and King Louis XVI, they are honor bound to give aid to them as they enter a war with Britain.
Hamilton comes out with a furious statement asserting that Washington would never agree with Jefferson because the new found United States are too disorganized and vulnerable to get involved in international affairs.
[10] This leads into "Washington on Your Side," in which Jefferson, Madison, and Aaron Burr express their contempt for Hamilton and begin to plot against him.
Talib Kweli, after seeing the show, noted that Daveed Diggs's performance was especially powerful in the rap/Broadway combination Miranda employs in his writing, not to mention in the "brilliance" that is "Cabinet Battle #1".