[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6923-S6924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 3020. A bill to establish the composition known as America the 
Beautiful as the national anthem; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing one last bill as a 
United States Senator. It is on an issue I have long wanted to tackle, 
changing our national anthem to one I believe is more representative of 
the amazing country and people that make up our United States of 
America. I believe that from its very first line, ``Oh beautiful for 
spacious skies'' America the Beautiful captures the spirit of our 
democracy and our shared commitment to liberty and freedom far better 
than our current anthem.
  Now some might say but the Star Spangled Banner has always been our 
national anthem, but that's not true. In fact its only been the anthem 
since 1931 and its only been in popular use during the last 100 years. 
It first became popular with the military, particularly the Navy.
  But the bottom line is that the Star Spangled banner commemorates a 
single battle, just one of the many historic battles and wars that we 
have fought to create and protect our great country. I think to me the 
thing that best captures my concern with the Star Spangled Banner, in 
addition to the fact that it is hard as heck for a layperson to sing, 
is that it doesn't actually mention the word ``America.''
  In contrast, America the Beautiful celebrates not just the amazing 
geography and wonder of our country--from amber waves of grain to 
purple mountains--from sea to shining sea, but also captures something 
of our national spirit when we sing ``A thoroughfare of freedom beat, 
across the wilderness.''
  Moreover, unlike the Star Spangled banner, America the Beautiful, 
like our coins, like our daily invocation here in the Senate 
acknowledges a higher power and calls upon god to guide us, to shed 
grace upon us, while also celebrating the heroism of those who have 
sacrificed their lives to create and preserve our democracy.
  I am well aware that this legislation to redesignate the national 
anthem to ``America the Beautiful'' is not going to pass today, one of 
my final days in the Senate, but I would ask those who follow me to 
keep in mind the importance of symbols like the national anthem in 
reminding us what is great about this country--equality of opportunity, 
geographic diversity and majesty, shared commitment to individual 
liberty--and give serious thought to this proposal.
  America the Beautiful is an anthem that far better embodies both the 
land and the principles that are the unifying beliefs of our democracy 
and for which we all stand together: freedom, liberty, and progress. 
For these reasons I believe that ``America the Beautiful'' should 
replace ``The Star Spangled Banner'' as the national anthem and I hope 
that my colleagues will come to share this view.

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