My Country, 'Tis of Thee: The Story Behind the Song Kenneth W.
Osbeck "Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by
tyrants." -- William Penn Moved deeply by the desire to create a
national hymn that would allow the American people to offer
praise to God for our wonderful land, a twenty-four-year-old
theological student, Samuel Francis Smith, penned these lines on
a scrap of paper in less than thirty minutes in 1832. Yet even
today many consider My Country, 'Tis of Thee their favorite
patriotic hymn and call it our "unofficial national anthem." The
easily singable words of the song are matched with a popular
international melody used by many nations, including England,
where it accompanies "God Save the King/Queen." The emotionally
powerful ideas that Smith expressed had an immediate response.
The hymn soon became a national favorite. The stirring tributes
to our fatherland in the first three stanzas lead to a
worshipful climax of gratefulness to God and a prayer for His
continued guidance. Following