America's Anthem | 7

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2019

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord.” That’s the opening line of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” written by Julie Ward Howe in 1861. Over the years, it’s become something of an unofficial national anthem for all manner of political causes in the United States. Historian Richard Gamble joins us to talk about the song, its meaning, and its history in everything from The Civil War to The Civil Rights Movement.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:07.0	Imagine it's April 3rd, 1968.
0:15.6	It's just before 9 p.m., in the Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.
0:20.6	The weather outside is unforgiving.
0:23.0	But the heavy rain hasn't stopped the crowd.
0:25.8	Thousands of citizens, students, local ministers and protesters are packed wall to wall inside
0:31.3	the temple.
0:32.6	These folks have gathered in support of local 1733, the Memphis Sanitation Workers Union.
0:38.8	A couple months back in February, the Sanitation Workers went on strike after two of their
0:43.8	men were killed on the job.
0:45.7	They want better pay, better working conditions, and better treatment.
0:49.9	They want dignity.
0:52.0	As the thunder claps and lightning strikes, tornado sirens begin to keen.
0:56.7	But the crowd doesn't leave.
0:58.6	They sing and clap and raise their hands to the sky.
1:02.2	Young man and his wife stand at the back of the gallery, waiting for the guest of honor
1:06.0	to arrive.
1:07.0	A guest who is marched with the Sanitation Workers and champion their cause.
1:11.1	What's taking him so long?
1:12.8	I don't know.
1:13.8	Abernathy promised he'd be here.
	...

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