As we celebrate the 4th of July (commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, I thought you might like to see the 4th verse of America (My Country 'Tis of Thee), written by Samuel Francis Smith while he was a seminary student. The song was first performed publicly in 1831. It served as our de facto national anthem until the Star Spangled Banner (though written in 1814) was officially made our national anthem in 1931.
[emphasis added]
Our fathers' God, to Thee,
author of liberty, to Thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King. (Amen!)
PS Widely used, though little remembered, was the rallying cry used by many colonialists during the Revolutionary War: "NO king but JESUS!"
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