TRANSCRIPT OF THE PODCAST: "AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL"
By: Ryan John Koch

In 1893, a schoolteacher by the name of Katharine Lee Bates traveled to Colorado to teach a short summer course at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

While on this trip, she journeyed to the summit of Pikes Peak, a photo of which can be seen on the Embassy webpage advertising this podcast. This mountain, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area, stands 14,115 tall, the equivalent of 4302 meters, or about 36 soccer fields. From the top of the mountain, Katharine Bates looked to the West and saw the beauty and wonder of the Rocky Mountain Range. To the East she saw the plains of the mid-West extending into Kansas, golden with ripening grain.

Inspired by the things she had seen, she returned to her hotel room that night and wrote the words to the song, "America, the Beautiful."

Oh 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.

At various times since the song was born, there have been efforts to give "America the Beautiful" legal status either as a national hymn, or as a national anthem equal to "The Star-Spangled Banner," but so far this has not succeeded. Proponents prefer "America the Beautiful" for various reasons, saying it is easier to sing, more melodic, and more adaptable to new orchestrations, while still remaining as easily recognizable as "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Nevertheless, "America the Beautiful" is held in high esteem by a large number of Americans, myself included. I have always liked the song, probably because it is much easier to sing than the "Star Spangled Banner." When I was 14, however, I actually moved to Colorado Springs, the city where Katherine Bates wrote the lyrics. Every morning, I could look out of my window and see Pikes Peak looming in the West. The first year I lived there, I was even able to go to the top of Pike's Peak and look out over the surrounding country. Like Katherine Bates, I was astounded by the vastness and beauty of what I was seeing. I stood there in amazement, feeling like I was viewing the country from sea to shining sea.

Years later, I was visiting my parents who still live in that same house. I chatted with my dad on the porch beneath the shadow of Pikes Peak. I mentioned to him that I loved seeing the mountains whenever I came back to Colorado. He replied that he had lived there for fourteen years, and every single day he looks at the purple mountain majesties of the Rockies, every single day he marvels at the beauty of it all, and every single day he tells himself, "I will never get tired of this."

The song encompasses more than just the natural beauty of the United States, however. The oft overlooked third verse reads:

Oh 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,
'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine.

This verse recounts the sacrifice made by so many people in giving their lives for the creation of our country. Now, when I say sacrifice, I do not necessarily mean the loss of life, although many willingly gave their lives for the cause. I do mean, however, all of the combined hardships and injustices that everyone had to endure during that time in our nation's history. These trials, however, served as a refiner's fire to refine and solidify the population of that time, uniting them behind a common cause and towards a common future.

Now, this may not be the reason why everyone likes this song, but it is one of the reasons why I like it. Not only am I reminded of the beauty of my country, but I'm also reminded of the work that was put into making the United States what it is today. My respect for the founding members of the country grows, as does my resolve to do my own part to improve my country from sea to shining sea.