"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The words are written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music was composed by choirmaster and church organist Samuel A. Ward. Ms. Bates originally wrote the words as a poem, on a visit to Colorado’s Pikes Peak. It was first published in the church periodical The Congretionalist  in 1895 for the July 4th edition. The poem was titled America for publication. Mr. Ward had originally written the music Materna, for an old hymn entitled, “O Mother Dear, Jerusalem,” in 1882. Ward's music was published in combination with the Bates poem, in 1910 and titled America the Beautiful. The song is one of the most beloved, if not the most beloved and popular of American patriotic songs. It has been proposed numerous times as a replacement for The Star-Spangled Banner as our country’s national Anthem.

America the Beautiful