He told Variety, “In 1938, I didn’t want it to be a war song. He said he wrote the song when he was at Camp Upton in 1918 and later revised it. The song was introduced by Kate Smith on a CBS Radio Show on Nov.

The first manuscript of ‘God Bless America’ (in the hand of musical secretary Helmy Kresa) is dated October 31, 1938, and the earliest ‘final’ version of the song is dated November 2.” He found an unpublished song and tried to rework it - “Once Berlin decided to re-work the song, he worked in typical style: with speed and attention to detail. In fall 1938, Irving Berlin decided to write a peace song, according to the Library of Congress. The first verse reads, “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!” According to The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Bates later revised the lyrics in 1904 and gave permission for it to appear in hymn books, poetry readers and more.

It was first published in a weekly newspaper called “The Congregationalist” on July 4, 1895. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.”Īfter she returned to her hotel room, she wrote the poem and published it under the name “Pikes Peak,” per Ballad of America. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules.

She said, “One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak.

Do you know the story behind these 7 patriotic songs?ĭuring Bates’ 1893 trip to Colorado Springs, she trekked onto the top of Pike’s Peak, per Ballad of America.

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