[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 20, 2001

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure everyone agrees that we now live in 
troubled times--times of anxiety, of uncertainty, of struggle. But we 
also live in a time of incomparable national unity. You could look 
around the country and easily spot superficial signs of unity, such as 
the plethora of American flags displayed outside homes and businesses 
or a crowd at a sports game chanting ``U-S-A!'' but the real truth is 
that the river of our national spirit runs much deeper than flag-waving 
could ever show. And in the fight against the evil that now confronts 
us, the American people are united like never before.
  More than a century ago, an English Literature Professor from 
Wellesley College named Katharine Lee Bates penned what has become the 
theme song for this extraordinary unity. On a trip to Colorado, Bates 
ascended Pike's Peak and basked in the wonder of the ``purple mountain 
majesties'' and ``spacious skies'' she saw. This scene inspired her to 
write ``America the Beautiful.''
  Returning to Wellesley, Bates sent the four stanzas of ``America the 
Beautiful'' to the Congregationalist, where they first appeared in 
print, appropriately, on July 4th, 1895. The hymn garnered immediate 
popularity and was initially set to music by Silas G. Pratt.
  But the attention Bates' hymn drew prompted her to rewrite it in 
1904, making it more simple and direct. After a few more changes over 
the next several years, the final version, the one so many Americans 
know today, was finished in 1913 and set to the tune of Samuel A. 
Ward's ``Materna.'' In true American spirit, Bates gave countless 
hundreds of free permissions for the use of ``America the Beautiful.''
  Today we turn to Bates' timeless words for comfort and for a reminder 
of our nation's strength. These words remind us of the heroism of the 
firefighters and policemen who responded to the attacks on the World 
Trade Center and the Pentagon; of the soldiers, sailors and flyers 
fighting the war on terrorism; and of the cavalcade of heroes who have 
fought over the years for civil rights, voting rights, and workers' 
rights--those ``heroes prov'd/In liberating strife/Who more than self 
their country loved.'' They remind us that the ``thoroughfare of 
freedom'' we so often take for granted has been blazed by pioneering 
pilgrims working even up to today. They remind us of the incredible 
resolve of New York, one of the ``albaster cities'' that ``gleam/
Undimmed by human tears.'' But most of all, Bates' words remind us of 
the indomitable American spirit that stretches high and proud, ``from 
sea to shining sea.''

  Perhaps the most expressive theme of ``America the Beautiful'' is 
that we Americans constantly seek to be uplifted--that we invoke divine 
help to mend our ``ev'ry flaw,'' that we know even our ``golden'' 
characteristics can be further refined. That is a sign of far greater 
strength than simply waving a flag and chanting ``U-S-A!''
  Mr. Speaker, in a testament to our national unity, I ask unanimous 
consent that the complete lyrics of ``America the Beautiful'' be 
entered into the Record.

                         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 the 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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