Purple Mountain Majesties and Amber Waves of Grain: The Story of America the Beautiful
November 2020

‘America the Beautiful’ was inspired by love of this country.  The words were written by Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College who taught Shakespeare, wrote poetry, and loved to travel.  She wrote a poem about her trip in 1893 across the United States.  The music was composed by Samuel A. Ward, a church organist and choirmaster in New Jersey.  The combination of words and music was first published as ‘America the Beautiful’ in 1910. 

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!
(see complete lyrics here)