My Country, ’This of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights by Claire Rudolf Murphy (review)

The titular song (more formally entitled “America”) was once a contender for the United States national anthem. The tune was nixed by citizens who couldn’t bring themselves to elevate a melody so closely associated with the British monarchy, but its 1831 Samuel Francis Smith iteration nonetheless remains a highlight of the patriotic canon. In this picture book account, Murphy revisits pivotal moments—social, political, and martial—in which the familiar song was co-opted and re-lyricized as a partisan theme song. Revolutionary War soldiers changed “God Save the King” to “God Save the Thirteen States”; abolitionists sang “My country, ’tis for thee, Dark land of slavery, For thee I weep”; labor activists lashed out against Industry with “Land of the Millionaire; Framers with pockets base; Caused by the cursed snare—The Money Ring.” The examples here demonstrate the versatility of the song itself and the power of a singable tune to rally supporters around a cause. Many of the verses, however, incorporate archaic language and period references that require explanation, and that illumination is consigned to endnotes, an arrangement that will leave readers who routinely ignore end matter reaping the consequences, or force diligent readers to flip to the back of the book after each spread. Collier’s mixed-media illustrations, sober in tone and rich in symbolic imagery, are worth lingering over and will add dimension to classroom discussions arising from a shared reading of this title. Annotated source notes direct children to resources they are unlikely to access, but lists of “Musical Links” and “If You Want to Learn More” will indeed be helpful in connecting readers to songs and recordings, many online. The music and complete lyrics to the 1831 song are also included.