Some
Songs for the Fourth
of July!
(And some pertinent quotes from American history.)
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My Country Tis
of Thee (America) |
- "It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. … There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit because he comforted me with rays of marvelous illumination from the Holy Scriptures" (Christopher Columbus, Book of Prophecies)
From Columbus private journal, his reasons for undertaking his voyage:
To "… bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the heathens" and to "bring the Word of God to unknown coastlands."
- "Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least making some ways toward it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work."
(1647, William Bradford, leader of the Pilgrims, writing in his history of the colony-- "Of Plymouth Plantation")
America the Beautiful
Was almost chosen as our National Anthem instead of "The Star Spangled Banner."In 1774, Hezekiah Niles, a British governor, wrote to England about events in America in "Principles and Acts of the Revolution in America"
"If you ask an American, who is his master? He will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ."
This comment became known in the colonies and the rallying cry became "No King but King Jesus." Later, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams commented:
"We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His Kingdom come."
- The Declaration of Independence concludes with these words:
- "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
Those men paid a heavy price. Here is some information about
What happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence?
The National Archives has a lot of information about the Declaration of Independence.In June of 1787 the Constitutional Convention was deeply divided in a bitter debate over how much individual freedom was to be permitted to the states under the new government. No progress had been made for some time, and none seemed to be in sight.
Then Ben Franklin made a speech, which he concluded with these comments:Here is Psalm 107 done into metre (Note: verses 21-31 only) by John Quincy Adams and set to Dwight Armstrong's tune for "Unless the Lord Shall Build the House."
- 1811, John Quincy Adams, in a letter to his son:
- "It is essential, my son, in order that you may go through life with comfort to yourself, and usefulness to your fellow creatures, that you should form and adopt certain rules or principles, for the government of your own conduct and temper...
It is in the Bible, you must learn them, and from the Bible how to practice them. Those duties are to God, to your fellow creatures, and to yourself. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as yourself.' ...
Let us, then, search the scriptures."
| The
Fourth of July wouldn't be complete without |
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| The Star Spangled Banner |
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Here's another song by Francis Scott Key that seems appropriate for July Fourth.
The title is: Before
The Lord We Bow
(also off site)(will open a new copy of your browser)
James Madison, (4th president and known as the "chief architect" of the constitution)
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
1835-1840, Alexis de Tocqueville, a French statesman, historian and social philosopher, toured the United States extensively and then wrote his observations in a book titled "Democracy in America." Here is a short quote from his observations:
"Religion in America ... must be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of that country; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it facilitates the use of it. Indeed, it is in this same point of view that the inhabitants of the United States themselves look upon religious belief.
I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion--for who can search the human heart?-- But I am certain that they hold it to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society.
You're A Grand Old Flag
George M. Cohan, @ 1911
You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of, the land I love,
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
But should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep you eye on the grand old flag."You're a Grand Old Flag" from:
Suzie's Castle -- one of our favorite places for good MIDI music
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God Bless America |
Finally, what would the Forth of July be
without some band music!?
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TURN YOUR PC SOUND UP ALL THE WAY |
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open the windows |
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and march around in your yard to these!! |
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Don't worry how it will look. |
These are all MIDI files, but they are well done.
The Sousa MIDI files are from
The John Phillip Sousa website
