A new film From Sea to Shining Sea: Katharine Lee Bates and The Story of America the Beautiful will have several screenings on April 27, 2025, from 2pm – 4pm at Falmouth Museums on the Green as part of the “Lyrics and Lanterns” historical event as Falmouth celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution Kick Off.
From Sea to Shining Sea explores the remarkable life of Katharine Lee Bates, poet, professor, and social reformer, beginning with her childhood in Falmouth. An unsung hero best known for authoring America the Beautiful, Bates was deeply committed to the beauty and principles of our country. This film is especially appropriate as statewide Massachusetts 250 commemorations lead up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, offering hope for the healing of a polarized America. Various state and federal commemorations are already underway for America250.
America The Beautiful may be America’s most beloved song. The words are found in nearly every hymn book in the country. It celebrates our natural beauty and makes a powerful appeal for justice, brotherhood and inclusion. It has been sung at inaugurations, demonstrations, and sporting events, in operatic, folk, country and other styles. Yet few know about the fascinating life of Katharine Lee Bates, the Falmouth-born Wellesley college professor who wrote the lyrics to the song. Her story should not be forgotten, nor its context. Her contribution to our national culture merited her induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970; and a February 2025 New England Music Hall of Fame class which also included Queen’s Freddie Mercury, The Monkees and other music industry influentials.
The first words of the song came to Bates as she surveyed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains from the broad summit of Colorado’s Pike’s Peak on July 22, 1893. Her verses acknowledge that the United States has often not lived up to its promises and ideals, yet it honors the unbroken chain of Americans who strived to make it all it can be – from sea to shining sea.
The 37 minute film includes hundreds of still photos, archival film clips, beautiful watercolors and stunning contemporary footage from Falmouth and other locations, bringing to life the historical events that shaped Bates’ thinking, including the Civil War, women’s suffrage, the Gilded Age, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, immigration to America, the Spanish American War, the Lawrence textile workers’ strike of 1912, and the First World War. The song America the Beautiful is presented in the film by Blane Howard, an independent country recording artist, and includes excerpts from many other renowned artists.
