Independence Day

America, the Beautiful

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. "
-- words written on the Liberty Bell

Every so often a movement is started to make "America the Beautiful" the national anthem instead of "The Star-Spangled Banner," largely because it was not written as a result of a war. The tune is easier to sing and the whole country is praised, not only the flag. Katherine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College, rode in a horse-drawn wagon up Pike's Peak, a mountaintop-in Colorado in 1893. She saw a view of the mountains that few people saw in those days and was inspired by her glimpse the "spacious skies" and "purple mountains" to write a poem, which became the first verse of the song. The public loved the poem, and Miss Bates was encouraged to set it to music She chose the music of a hymn by Samuel Ward. The words and music traveled around the world, and today Mexico, Canada and Australia sing it with their own countries' names instead of "America."

Selection by the Information Resource Center

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