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 of 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!
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 pilgrims feet
Whose stem 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 and 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!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

God bless America
Land that I love
Stand beside her
And guide her
Through the night
With the light from above
From the mountains to the prairie
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America
My home sweet home

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The United States was born on July 2, 1776, the congress, in closed session, approved the resolution of independence. John Adams thought [July 2] would be the day that Americans would celebrate independence based on that vote. On July 3, 1776, in a letter to his wife Abigail, Adams wrote, "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most  memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more." Of course, public opinion is sometimes hard to predict. From the very beginning, Americans chose to celebrate independence on July 4, the date shown on the Declaration of Independence.  However, regardless of the date, we need to remember the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence. We were declaring ourselves independent of overbearing government. It marked the beginning of the greatest experiment in self-government in history. The ideas expressed, while not new, were still profound. It set in motion the idea that humans are capable of, and by right should, govern themselves and that the citizens, not subjects, should be free to pursue their dreams, wants and desires so long as they do not interfere in the rights of others to do the same. Somehow, along the way, we have forgotten that. Our Framers would be aghast of how overbearing today's government has become. And it becomes larger and more intrusive by the day. Hopefully, Americans will reflect on what this document  really means and how relevant, especially today, the words of the Declaration of Independence are and make a renewed effort of returning our government to our founding ideals.