The US History Anthem
THE US HISTORY ANTHEM:
Nomads cross the land bridge, Columbus sails the ocean blue
Smallpox, corn, horses, guns; God, gold and glory too
Along comes King James I and the greed VA Co.
They start a town and name it James, saved by tobacco
Plymouth and the Separatists, the rest are all the same
Came for God or money or land, not for all the fame
North with all the Puritans, they didn't like dissent
Annie H and Robbie Dubs thought twice and out they went
The South grew rice and indigo on fertile, green plantations
The Mid and Southern worshipers were of mixed affiliations
The Great Awakening set Puritan pulpits on fire
Indians refused to budge for white man's land desires
Self reliance and republicanism, they both were on the rise
As mercantilist King George III made new taxes to excise
Seven years of war with France made British coffers light
Colonies wouldn't give up representation without a fight
Intolerable, Townsend, Stamp; especially the Tea
Repeal was demanded by the Sons of Liberty
The Boston Massacre led up to Lexington and Concord
The Declaration made King George think colonists were bonkers
Gray old men sat round to form a new Confederation
With France's help, Cornwallis fell; up went a new nation
No power for the feds made need for a solution
With compromise, the colonies were bound by resolution
Three-fifths, Bill of Rights, and bicameral legislature
Colonies came together to set the government on paper
Washington, Adams, XYZ, the French Revolution
Hamilton and Jefferson debate the Constitution
Louisiana stretches West, Monroe lays down his Doctrine
But impressment boils US blood; the British come a-knockin'
1812 is over fast, slavery is on the rise
the North goes for containment with the Missouri Compromise
The reaper makes the factories grow, religion brings reform
D. Dix and S. B. Anthony add thunder to the storm
Jacksonian democracy sets up the spoils system
The Dawes Act and the Trail of Tears--Indians can't resist 'em
Manifest Destiny calls for expansive territory
54°40' or fight!: the battle cry for glory
Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, and popular sovereignty
Pressures are on the rise with John Brown and Harper's Ferry
Lincoln versus Davis, the Southern states secede
The Union warns of plans for war, the South refused to heed
The Confederates were cocky to rely on British aid
But when help didn't come their troops began to fade
Bull Run, Vicksburg, Gettysburg; the Appomattox end,
The Emancipation frees the slaves, Reconstruction starts to mend
While Johnson calls for union by only 10 percent
Blacks become enfranchised with the 14th Amendment
Freedmen were still suppressed despite Congress's intentions
The KKK and Jim Crow Laws resisted intervention
Monopolies are on the rise as steel and oil boom
Labor takes the brunt of it--no health or hours or room.
Speak softly and carry a big stick, says the Roosevelt Corollary
TR's Square Deal trust-busting makes corporations wary
Europe spirals downward while America abstains
But German U-Boat bombings make the US take the reins
Wilson's 14 Points create the peaceful League of Nations
But Congress will not ratify; Allies want reparations
Sex and money, prohibition: hear the 20s roar
Ads and entertainment make Americans want more
Alas! This decadent decade was not made to last
October 19, '29 destroys the upper class
Hoovervilles and soup kitchens are signs of the times
While FDR's New Deal shortens unemployment lines
Unhappiness and fascism thrust Europe into war
Despite Franklin's neutrality, the US can't ignore
Cash and carry pulls a match that Pearl Harbor ignites
December 7, '41: America stands and fights
(see comment by author for the rest of the lyrics)
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