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America the Beautiful
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!
Wikipedia says that the version above was from the 1911 update. But the original poem was written in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates and follows below.
America the Beautiful
(1893 Original Version)
O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife,
When once or twice, for man’s avail,
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain,
The banner of the free!
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
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!
##
Wikipedia says that while Katharine Lee Bates wrote the words for the original poem, “the music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never met.”
“Bates originally wrote the words as a poem, “Pikes Peak”, first published in the Fourth of July edition of the church periodical The Congregationalist in 1895. At that time, the poem was titled “America” for publication.”
The famous black singer Ray Charles is one of the many that have performed this song. The version below has over 6 million hits and was uploaded on Feb 13, 2009.
The black performer Beyonce sang the song for President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Concert in 2008.
This version was uploaded by Silver1Sprg.
The version of the Lee Greenwood song, God Bless the USA is clearly different than America the Beautiful. But both celebrate our national heritage. The version below has some manufactured homes worked into the imagery. Can you spot them?
Back to America the Beautiful.
The lyrics “God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!” That should be etched into the hearts of millions of more Americans of all backgrounds. We cherish America because it is more just than many societies, perhaps among the most just in the world.
That doesn’t mean that America is now or ever was perfect. The song clearly recognized that point over a century ago.
As someone with more than the typical background in history, our nation and the history of other nations can fairly be described as a tale of the effort of one group or leader trying to oppress or ‘enslave’ others. Those who tear down statues of Christopher Columbus, for example, may not realize that there were already slaves in the Americas. Indeed, slavery and indentured servitude was common at various times in nations around the world going back to ancient times.
“Prior to 1619, hundreds of thousands of Africans, both free and enslaved, aided the establishment and survival of colonies in the Americas and the New World,” says History.
The BBC reminds readers that blacks enslaved other blacks, just as whites enslaved other whites, and Native Americans captured and enslaved others “Indians.”
As Crystal Ponti writing in History stated it, “Focusing on the English colonies omits the global nature of slavery.”
There are those who are arguably weaponizing history, distorting it for their own purposes. Ponti didn’t say that, but it is a sad reality that some of the reports beyond the byline and notices will document and illustrate.
It would be a mistake to ignore the genuine problems that have been caused by oppression in its many forms, including slavery. But it would be equally erroneous to take those facts out of context and try to manipulate large numbers of people by making claims that are lacking historic context.
The map above reveals that most of the world had slavery or serfdom at various times. America is the story of various people coming together to form a nation where people could be more free. Our freedom, not the stains of the past, are why over a million come to the U.S. legally and illegally every year.
Freedom is never free. The first step in becoming more free is sound information. Information/education is the start, but proper action must follow.
As a closing note for first time visitors, affordable housing – specifically manufactured homes – are our focus. Freedom is benefited by more affordable home ownership.
To learn more about these topics and concerns, scan the home page, or use the search tool found on most pages. “America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!”
“We Provide, You Decide.” © (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, lifestyle news, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.)
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By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHLivingNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position, and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
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