Words from the poem are painted above a door in the Cox Corridors of the U.S. Capitol.

"America the Beautiful" began as a poem by Katharine Lee Bates in 1893. It was later combined with music by Samuel Augustus Ward to form the patriotic song many of us know today.

I've been thinking of this song often with the July Fourth holiday coming up, and interpretations of its lyrics can be seen each day as I walk to work at the U.S. Capitol.

View of the U.S. Capitol's East Front.

O beautiful for spacious skies

One can't help but take in the vastness of the sky when approaching the U.S. Capitol. It is a sight to behold, no matter the weather.

Exterior view of a building.
Sculpture.

For amber waves of grain

The "Progress of Civilization" pediment on the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol features elements that represent the diversity of human endeavor, including sheaves of wheat.

Exterior view of a building.

For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain!

The shape of the U.S. Capitol's pediments themselves resemble mountain peaks, and its position on Capitol Hill rests elevated over the grassy National Mall below.

Sculpture.

America! America! God shed His grace on thee

America is the central figure in the "Genius of America" pediment on the central, east section of the U.S. Capitol. To her left is the figure of Hope and to her right is Justice.

Statue of a figure standing.

And crown thy good with brotherhood

The crowning feature of the U.S. Capitol and its Dome is the Statue of Freedom. She stands on a cast-iron pedestal topped with a globe encircled with the motto "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of many, one).

Sculpture.
Exterior view of a building.

From sea to shining sea!

Waves at either end of the "Apotheosis of Democracy" pediment on the House wing of the U.S. Capitol symbolize the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED

Comments

Michael J Lill…July 3, 2018 - 3:02pm

A great song for all us to sing, but really sorry the youth of today DO NOT KNOW THE SONG nor what the words stand for.

Laurence E. Pa…July 4, 2019 - 10:59am

Nice article, I love the the architecture of the Capital and most of the monuments in DC.

Alice Marjorie GroveFebruary 11, 2022 - 8:33am

Your mini-tour is wonderful and I am looking forward to more of them. We need that now! Thank you.

Pat Riedmatter March 3, 2023 - 10:33am

Thanks for that beautiful capital tour of America the Beautiful. I am most grateful for you ,Brad Wenstup, for being our rep. God has blessed us and America with you.

Dana EllisMarch 3, 2023 - 10:52am

I believe that when the government forced prayer to be removed from schools, it also caused patriotism to be removed. Who but older folks even knows the Pledge of Allegiance anymore, much less the National Anthem? If you do hear the anthem at sporting events, it's often mutilated by the singer thinking of standing out more than of the flag and the meaning of the words.

Anita BlytheMarch 7, 2023 - 8:47am

I have been enjoying your emails for awhile with all the history and information of our nation's capitol. Thank you for the work you are doing. We so desperately need strong, moral leaders at this time.

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