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As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, “America the Beautiful” continues to resonate with Americans across generations – and more than 130 years after it was written. What is the secret to its enduring appeal? Discover why “America the Beautiful” has captured hearts for over a century – and why many people once thought it should be America’s national anthem.
I’m Mindy Peterson, host of Enhance Life with Music podcast, where we explore all the ways music can make our lives better. And this is Microhance, a micro-dose of musical enhancement.
Next week on July 4, Americans will be celebrating our country’s 250th birthday (aka the Semiquincentennial). In recognition of this milestone, today’s Microhance tells the backstory of a song that almost became our national anthem: “America the Beautiful.” (If you want to learn more about “The Star Spangled Banner,” which is our national anthem, I’ll put a link in the show notes to Ep. 101, where we explore the story behind that song and what makes it unique among national anthems around the world.)
The story of “America the Beautiful” began in the summer of 1893. A 33-year-old English professor and poet named Katharine Lee Bates traveled by train from Massachusetts to Colorado Springs to teach a summer course. During her trip, she visited the summit of Pikes Peak, one of Colorado’s most breathtaking mountains.
The journey to the top wasn’t easy. Bates rode partway up in a prairie wagon and completed the rest of the climb on a mule. But when she reached the summit, the view left her speechless. Looking out over the vast plains, amber fields, and majestic mountains stretching across the American landscape, she was deeply moved. Later, she recalled that the opening words of a poem came to her almost immediately: “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain / For purple mountain majesties / Above the fruited plain!”
Bates finished writing her poem, originally titled “Pikes Peak,” before leaving Colorado Springs – but didn’t think of publishing it until two years later. The poem was first published on July 4 in 1895 and became widely popular. Over the years, the poem was sung to several different melodies, including “Auld Lang Syne,” before being consistently paired with the tune it’s known for today. That melody had been called, “Materna,” and was written years earlier (in 1882) by church organist Samuel Ward. Ward composed the melody for a hymn, never knowing it would become inseparably linked with Bates’ poem. Interestingly, the two creators never met.
While Bates was initially surprised by her poem’s enormous popularity, she later reflected that what made it so enduring was “clearly due to the fact that Americans are at heart idealists, with a fundamental faith in human brotherhood.”
“America the Beautiful” doesn’t simply celebrate America’s physical beauty. It also expresses hopes and aspirations for the nation. The lyrics call for brotherhood, grace, selflessness, and moral courage. Rather than declaring perfection, the song acknowledges that a nation is always a work in progress.
During the early 1900s, many Americans felt “America the Beautiful” would make a better national anthem than “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was easier to sing, more reflective, and focused less on war and more on the ideals to which the country could aspire. Congress ultimately chose “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem in 1931, but “America the Beautiful” remains a widely beloved unofficial anthem and one of the nation’s most popular patriotic songs, performed regularly at major national events.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, perhaps the song’s greatest gift is its reminder that patriotism isn’t just gratitude for what a nation has been – it’s a commitment to what it can become. After all, the most beautiful vision of America may not be found in its mountains or fields, but in the ongoing effort of its people to live up to their highest ideals, including selflessness, moral courage, and mutual respect.
I’ll put Katharine Bates’ final copyrighted version of her poem in the show notes, as well as a link to related episodes you may enjoy:
I’m Mindy Peterson, and I hope this inspires you to enhance your life with music.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL by Katharine Lee Bates
O 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!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O 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
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot 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!
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