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A song for America

By Miranda Gomez-Anzures, age 14 | February 27, 2024

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BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE Miranda Gomez-Anzures, an eighth grader at St. Anne Catholic School, wrote the winning essay for the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Contest. The essay will go on to be judged at the state level this month.

This school year, I participated in the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Contest. I won first place in my area and my essay will continue to the state-level competition. The topic was to write about John Philip Sousa, a famous conductor who composed The Stars and Stripes Forever, from the perspective of a news reporter. This song shows true American spirit. I wanted to show Sousa’s musical genius and tell people about the song.

This is an excerpt from my essay:

It was May 14, 1897, and I had the privilege of listening to this new march in Philadelphia composed by John Philip Sousa on behalf of the Philadelphia Times. On an expectant day in Philadelphia, John Phillip Sousa and his band, Sousa’s Band, first played “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” The music began in an energetic and enchanting way. I could see in the faces of all the band members that they were very excited to be playing this new march. The crowd immediately became enamored with this march. The crowds of children and adults cheered and smiled. I, too, loved this march when I heard it. The instruments were so different but created a perfect balance that joined together to make this march. The musicians played effortlessly as if the music came naturally to them. Toward the end, there was a solo featuring the piccolo players, which added to the excitement of the crowd.

Many wonder how Sousa managed to write such a magnificent march that is beloved by Americans of all ages. He was once asked how he was inspired to write “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” In short, he first answered that God had inspired him. Secondly, he stated that when he was traveling in Italy with his wife, he received news that his manager, David Blakely, had died. He wished to get home as soon as possible. On a boat back to the United States, he stated that in his mind a band was playing “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” After arriving in America, he wrote down the music for the march in 1896.

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