America, also known as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” is one of the national hymns of the United States. The words were written in 1831 for a church school in Boston by Samuel Francis Smith, who was then studying for the ministry. The song was first sung at the school’s Fourth of July celebration that year. Smith wrote the words to a melody that was popular in many European countries. He found the tune in a collection of German melodies. “God Save the Queen,” the British national anthem, uses the same melody. Smith wrote five stanzas. The third, which called the British “tyrants,” is not sung today. See also God Save the King.
