"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song which rivals "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States, in popularity. This is an incomplete list. ... Nicholson took the copy Key had given him to a printer, who published it as a broadside on 17 September, 1814 under the title “Defence of Fort McHenry,” with a note explaining the circumstances of its writing. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nations government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ...

Lyrics

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

Oh beautiful, for pilgrims' feet

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;

Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!

Oh beautiful, for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America! May God thy gold refine,

'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!

Oh beautiful, for patriot's dream

That sees, beyond the years,

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

History

The words are by Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College, where she lived in a 25-year Boston marriage with another professor, Katharine Coman. [1] In 1893, Bates had taken a train trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to teach a short summer school session at Colorado College, and several of the sights on her trip found their way into her poem: Katharine Lee Bates, (August 12, 1859 - March 26, 1929), is remembered as the author of the words to the anthem America the Beautiful. ... Wellesley College is a womens liberal arts college that opened in 1875, founded by Henry Fowle Durant and his wife Pauline Fowle Durant. ... In the 19th century, Boston marriage was a term used for households where two women lived together, independent of any male support. ... Katharine Coman (1857-1915) Social activist, distinguished economist. ... Nickname: The Springs Location in the state of Colorado Coordinates: County El Paso Mayor Lionel Rivera Area    - City 482. ... The Colorado College is a private four-year, co-educational liberal arts college located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ...

• The World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the "White City" with its promise of the future contained within its alabaster buildings.
• The wheat fields of Kansas, through which her train was riding on July 4.
• The majestic view of the Great Plains from atop Pikes Peak.

On that mountain, the words of the poem started to come to her, and she wrote them down upon returning to her hotel room at the original Antlers Hotel. The poem was initially published two years later in The Congregationalist, to commemorate the Fourth of July. It quickly caught the public's fancy. Amended versions were published in 1904 and 1913. One-third scale replica of Daniel Chester Frenchs Republic, which stood in the great basin at the exposition, Chicago, 2004 The Worlds Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago Worlds Fair), a Worlds Fair, was held in the U.S. city of Chicago in 1893, to celebrate... This article is about Illinois largest city. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... The Great Plains is the broad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. ... Pikes Peak (formerly Pikes Peak, see below) is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, 10 miles (16 km) west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County. ... These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ...

Several existing pieces of music were adapted to the poem. The Hymn tune MATERNA composed in 1882 by Samuel A. Ward, was generally considered the best music as early as 1910 and is still the popular tune today. Ward had been similarly inspired. The tune came to him while he was on a ferryboat trip from Coney Island back to his home in New York City after a leisurely summer day, and he immediately wrote it down. Ward died in 1903, not knowing the national stature his music would attain. Miss Bates was more fortunate, as the song's popularity was well-established by her death in 1929. Samuel Augustus Ward (1847-1903) was an American organist and composer. ... Image of Coney Island, located in the middle left of the picture, taken by NASA. The peninsula to the right is Rockaway, Queens. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

At various times in the more than 100 years that have elapsed since the song as we know it was born, particularly during the John F. Kennedy administration, there have been efforts to give "America the Beautiful" legal status either as a national hymn, or as a national anthem equal to, or in place of, "The Star-Spangled Banner", but so far this has not succeeded. Proponents prefer "America the Beautiful" for various reasons, saying it is easier to sing, more melodic, and more adaptable to new orchestrations while still remaining as easily recognizable as "The Star-Spangled Banner." Some prefer "America the Beautiful" over "The Star-Spangled Banner" due to the latter's war-oriented imagery. (Others prefer "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the same reason.) While that national dichotomy has stymied any effort at changing the tradition of the national anthem, "America the Beautiful" continues to be held in high esteem by a large number of Americans. For other persons named John Kennedy, see John Kennedy (disambiguation). ...

Popularity of the song increased greatly following the September 11, 2001 attacks; at some sporting events it was sung in addition to the traditional singing of the national anthem. During the first taping of the Late Show with David Letterman following the attacks, CBS newsman Dan Rather cried briefly as he quoted the fourth verse. [2] A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... The Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy talk show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City. ... Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. ...

Ray Charles is credited with the song's most well known rendition in current times (although Elvis Presley had a good success with it in the 1970s). His recording is very commonly played at major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl. His unique take on it places the third verse first, after which he sings the usual first verse. In the third verse (see below), the author scolds the materialistic and self-serving robber barons of her day, and urges America to live up to its noble ideals and to honor, with both word and deed, the memory of those who died for their country. Ray Charles was the stage name of Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004). ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ... This article addresses materialism in the economic sense of the word. ... John D. Rockefeller Sr. ...

It is often included in songbooks in a wide variety of religious congregations in the United States. Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islam, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhism, Sikh, Hindu, Jain (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Diane de Poitiers, Maltese cross Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that (generally) involve a faith in a spiritual nature and...

It has also become a tradition for the song to be performed at the start of the WWE event Wrestlemania. Such artists to perform the song at the event include Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Reba McEntire, Little Richard, Boyz II Men, Ashanti, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Mariah Carey, Lilian Garcia and Michelle Williams. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Official WrestleMania logo WrestleMania is the annual flagship pay-per-view event of World Wrestling Entertainment, widely regarded as The Grandaddy of Them All or The Showcase of the Immortals. The first WrestleMania was held on March 31, 1985 in New Yorks Madison Square Garden. ... Ray Charles was the stage name of Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004). ... Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American gospel, soul and R&B singer born in Memphis, Tennessee, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. ... Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American R&B/soul singer and actress. ... Reba Nell McEntire (b. ... Little Richard (born Richard Wayne Penniman, December 5, 1932 in Macon, Georgia) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Boyz II Men is an American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980), professionally known as Ashanti, is an Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, poet, actress, and fashion designer who rose to fame in the early 2000s. ... The Boys Choir of Harlem (also known as the Harlem Boys Choir) is a choir located in Harlem, New York City, USA. Founded in 1968 by Dr. Walter Turnbull, the choir is more than just a performing group. ... Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is a Grammy Award-winning American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Michelle Williams may refer to: Michelle Williams, (born July 23, 1980), an American singer and member of the group Destinys Child. ...

When Richard Nixon visited the People's Republic of China in 1972, this song was played by Chinese as the welcome music. Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Idioms

"From sea to shining sea" is an American idiom meaning from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean (or vice versa). Many songs have used this term, including the American patriotic songs "America, The Beautiful" and "God Bless the USA". In addition to these, it is also featured in Schoolhouse Rock's "Elbow Room". Although the United States has borders with the Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, the phrase refers only to the West and East coasts of the Continental U.S. A term similar to this is the Canadian motto A Mari Usque Ad Mare ("From sea to sea.") See also Manifest Destiny. An idiom is an expression (i. ... God Bless the USA is an American patriotic song written by nationalist country musician Lee Greenwood. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... The continental United States refers (except sometimes in U.S. federal law and regulations) to the largest part of the U.S. that is delimited by a continuous border. ... This painting (circa 1872) by John Gast called American Progress is an allegorical representation of Manifest Destiny. ...

Popular usage

Talk show host Rush Limbaugh begins broadcasts with words including, ”Greetings, conversationalists across the fruited plain....” with the usage of the last two words of the fourth line referring the entire nation. While not specifically crediting the song or the author, the use of the words are intended as being an invitation to all Americans to listen and/or participate. Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (born January 12, 1951) is an American radio talk show host. ...

Takeoffs

A song as popular and familiar as "America the Beautiful" inevitably gets used out of its proper context or time frame, for humorous effect. Some examples:

• In 1971, the song inspired the cross-country Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash race from New York to Los Angeles that later was the topic of several movies with Burt Reynolds

• A Far Side cartoon from 1982 (reprinted in Sherr's book) shows Columbus nearing land, with his crew of conquistador types, and saying, "Look, gentlemen! Purple mountains! Spacious skies! Fruited plains! ... Is someone writing this down?"

• In one of his comedy club routines in the early 1960s, Flip Wilson did a Columbus story with an African-American twist... ironically, the catchphrase repeated by Queen Isabel (an early "Geraldine") is "Chris gon' find Ray Charles!" When his Columbus sees land, he comments, "It's America, all right... just look at those spacious skies... those amber waves of grain... dig that purple mountain's majesty... I'll bet there's fruit out there on the plain!"

• In his satirical, musical record album, The United States of America, Volume 1, Stan Freberg plays Columbus, Jesse White plays a skeptical King Ferdinand, and Colleen Collins does Queen Isabella (mimicking Tallulah Bankhead), resulting in this bit of dialogue: [3]

Ferdinand: Look at him in that hat! Is that a crazy sailor?

Isabella: Crazy? I'll tell you how crazy! He's a man with a dream, a vision, a vision of a new world, whose alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears, with purple mountain majesties above the Two Cents Plain . . .

Ferdinand and Columbus: Fruited!

Isabella: Fruited.

• Mel Brooks, on a talk show, once did an impression of how Frank Sinatra might sing the song, complete with tuxedo, black hat and coat, and cigarette, leaning up against a bar, and rendering the song in "lounge style".

• George Carlin performed a satirical version around 1970, when environmental issues were becoming a hot political topic: [4]

Oh beautiful, for smoggy skies, insecticided grain

For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain.

America, America, man sheds his waste on thee

And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea!

• In May 2006, America the Beautiful was presented in Spanish on the CD Life’s a Mess Let’s Dance, released by a Philadelphia band called King Platypus [5]. It was written and recorded in 2005, long before the 2006 immigration protests throughout the United States, and the controversy surrounding the translation of American patriotic songs into Spanish.

The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as the Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, was an unofficial, if not outlaw, automobile race run four times in the 1970s from New York City to Los Angeles. ... Burt Reynolds in 2005 Burt Reynolds (born Burton Leon Reynolds, Jr. ... This article concerns the Far Side comic strip. ... Clerow Flip Wilson (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an African-American comedian and actor. ... An album (from Latin albus white, blank, relating to a blank book in which something can be inserted) is a packaged collection of related things. ... Stanley Victor Freberg (born August 7, 1926 in Los Angeles) is a voice actor, comedian, and advertising creative. ... Jesse White (January 4, 1917 – January 9, 1997) was an American character actor who played many roles in television, film and on stage. ... Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 - December 12, 1968) was an American actress, talk-show host and bonne vivante. ... Two Cents Plain is a slang term for seltzer water. ... Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926) is an Academy Award-winning American actor, writer, director and producer best known as a creator of broad film farces and comedy parodies or, as he says, spoofs. // Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York to Russian-Jewish parents Maximillian Kaminsky... Sinatra redirects here. ... George Dennis Carlin (born May 12, 1937 in New York, New York) [1] is a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. ...

Books

• Lynn Sherr's 2001 book America the Beautiful discusses the origins of the song and the backgrounds of its authors in depth. ISBN 1-58648-085-5.

See also

[of the Rush Limbaugh Show]

Sources/external links

• MP3 and RealAudio recordings available at the United States Library of Congress
• 1913 Lyrics (eight stanzas)
• Lyrics (four stanzas)
• A National Treasure
• The Antlers Hotel/history: where Katherine Lee Bates penned America the Beautiful (Click on "History" on the top left hand corner of index to access page)
• Midi file of America the Beautiful from The Cyber Hymnal
• Sample recording of America the Beautiful in Spanish
• America the Beautiful in today's news media.
• Biography of the songwriter, Katharine Lee Bates, part of a Series poet's biographies.

Patriotic music of the United States

"America the Beautiful" | "Ballad of the Green Berets" | "Battle Cry of Freedom" | "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" | "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean" | "For The Dear Old Flag, I Die" | "God Bless America" | "God Bless the USA" | "Hail Columbia" | "Hail to the Chief" | "The Liberty Bell" | "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" | "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" | "Over There" | "PT-109" | "The Stars and Stripes Forever" | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | "There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" | "This is My Country" | "This Land Is Your Land" | "Yankee Doodle" | "The Yankee Doodle Boy" | "You're a Grand Old Flag" | "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"