Claire Rudolf Murphy

My Country, Tis of Thee – How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights

My Country Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights My Country Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights

 My Country Tis of Thee jacket cover

By Claire Rudolf Murphy and illustrated by Bryan Collier
Henry Holt and Co., 48 pages, ISBN 9780805082265

More than any other, one song traces America’s history of patriotism and protest.

Everyone knows the words to “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.” What most don’t realize is that this iconic song has been a beacon of change for hundreds of years. Generations of protesters and civil rights pioneers have created new lyrics, beginning in royalist Britain and continuing through conflicts in colonial times, the American Revolution, the suffragist and labor movements, and the struggles for black and Native American civil rights. With spectacular illustrations by Caldecott Honor–winning artist Bryan Collier, My Country, ’Tis of Thee offers a fascinating insight into the American fight for freedom.

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