20 pages • 40 minutes read
Katharine Lee BatesAmerica the Beautiful
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1893A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Development of the Song
While Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” in 1893, the song underwent significant changes over the course of the next 18 years, and the version most people know today wouldn’t arrive complete with music until 1911.
While the 1893 version contained most of the finished song, the line “from sea to shining sea” was absent. Also notable, the first verse refers to the sky as halcyon instead of spacious, suggesting a more metaphorical approach to the landscape than the concrete one in the final song. She also originally called the song “America: A Poem for July 4.”
A 1904 update looks closer to the final song than the 1893 version. The main difference here is the verse commemorating those who have sacrificed their lives for the country. Here, Bates writes, “O beautiful for glory-tale / Of liberating strife, / When valiantly for man’s avail / Men lavished precious life.” Notice here the repetition in the last two lines of “valiantly for man’s avail / Men lavished [...] life.” The repetition of man/men and the “L” sounds makes for a complex parallelism in the two lines, but the line is more universal than the final verse that specifies the sacrifice for country instead of for life itself. This adds a bit more to the final version’s nationalistic tone.
The music for the song came from an 1882 hymn by Samuel A. Ward. While the music and lyrics seem to fit perfectly today, originally, there were over 75 melodies that accompanied the lyrics, and Ward’s music didn’t become the de facto tune until 1910.
Use Throughout American History
There is a long history of popular artists performing the song at major events. The song became popular right away, and once the lyrics and music were finalized in the early 20th century, performances spread across the country. Perhaps the most popular performance of the song is by Ray Charles. Recorded in 1976, this version is still popular today.
The song has also been used during presidential inaugurations and before major sporting events. It is often paired with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” usually sung before the national anthem. And while “The Star-Spangled Banner” became the official national anthem of the United States in 1931, “America the Beautiful” was a candidate for the honor, and some people still believe the song should replace “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The two main reasons people want the change are “America the Beautiful” is easier to sing and “America the Beautiful” is not about war. However, it is important to note that one of the reasons “The Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem is because of a push by war veterans to make it so, as the song had long been associated with the military.
