Lin-Manuel Miranda Pens Deeply Personal Op-Ed on the Puerto Rican Debt Crisis

Two weeks ago, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the rest of the cast of Hamilton headed to Washington, D.C. to freestyle for Obama, perform a number of songs from his hit Broadway show, and host an education symposium for high school students. Although he excitedly tweeted about the event, Miranda also took this visit as a chance to stop by the Senate to ask for help for Puerto Rico, which is currently facing a budget shortage and impending default on its $78 billion debt.

He explained that the financial crisis has forced some of the special places that formed a part of his childhood to close. And he even joked that he’d give senators the hard-to-score Hamilton tickets in exchange for aiding Puerto Rico. “We face a financial crisis triple anything that you’re experiencing here in the United States, and it’s a solvable, fixable crisis,” he said. “What we really need is help.”

Today, The New York Times published Miranda’s op-ed, titled “Give Puerto Rico Its Chance to Thrive.” Miranda, ever the Hamilton expert, started his piece by citing Alexander Hamilton’s 1772 plea for hurricane-ravaged St. Croix. Fortune recently named Miranda one of the world’s greatest leaders, and this letter is further proof that the title is well deserved. Here’s a look at five important things he said in his piece: