Media Battle Hymn of the Republic
This hymn helped inspire the North in its fight to reunite the country and free African-American slaves
The Story Behind The Song
Every song has a story about why it was written
Sometimes history can come across as a bunch of boring dates or a list of dead guys. But history is packed with surprising stories of people doing amazing, brave, as well pretty silly things—in other words, people just like people today!
History is also full of music. Songs from the past are like recordings from long ago. They give us a sense of what our parents, grandparents, and extra-old ancestors feared, hoped for, and celebrated.
As you read about these songs from the past, keep a couple questions in the back of your mind: What songs being created today will tell your story to your kids and grandkids? And what story will your songs tell?
In This Series...
Media Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
Humbled by the Great Depression, this song gave voice to Americans' fears and feelings of loss
Media God Bless America
In 1938, composer Irving Berlin dusted off an old piece of music to create a new national hit
Media The Marine's Hymn
The stories behind the words—“From the Halls of Montezuma, To the shores of Tripoli”
Media Puerto Rico’s National Anthem "La Borinqueña"
In 1868, Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodríguez de Tió wrote revolutionary lyrics to a popular Puerto Rican danza, hoping to inspire her fellow Puerto Ricans to rise up against Spanish colonialism. Over one hundred years later, a new set of words became the official lyrics to “La Borinqueña,” Puerto Rico’s national anthem.
Media El himno nacional de Puerto Rico “La Borinqueña”
En 1868, la poeta Lola Rodríguez de Tío escribió liricas que revolucionaron una danza popular de Puerto Rico con la esperanza de inspirar a su gente puertorriqueña a rebelar en contra del colonialismo español. Más de cien años después, nuevas palabras se convirtieron en la letra oficial de “La Borinqueña,” el himno nacional de Puerto Rico.
Media The Star-Spangled Banner
How a captured poet penned the song that became the country’s national anthem.
Media This Land is Your Land
Folk singer Woody Guthrie celebrates America’s bounty and protests that not all Americans were getting their fair share
Media We Shall Overcome
How a song helped steel the courage of Black Americans as they struggled to surmount the barriers to civil rights.
Media Yankee Doodle
“Yankee Doodle” may be a popular kids’ tune today, but it got its start as a song of war
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