The rousing urgency of the song seems to possess a power that, according to its own lyrics, “transfigures you and me.” ...

Poet and abolitionist Julia Ward Howe rewrote the lyrics to one of America's most patriotic songs, the "Battle Hymn of the ...

Poet, philosopher, and suffragist Julia Ward Howe wrote a rallying cry in 1861 that would resonate for more than a ...

It was sung at Ronald Reagan's funeral, and adopted with new lyrics by labor radicals. John Updike quoted it in the title of one of his novels, and George W. Bush had it performed at the memorial ...

Though the Battle Hymn of the Republic is more than 150 years old, it is still embraced by Americans of all political persuasions. According to Ben Soskis, co-author of a new book about the song, that ...

Here’s one thing Presidents Bush and Obama have in common: both had the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” featured at key points in their presidencies. But how did a song with such clear sectional roots ...

Only Slate Plus members can gift Slate stories. Become a member to share 10 free articles a month. On Nov. 18, 1861, Julia Ward Howe, a prominent Boston poet, attended a review of Union troops outside ...

When the time came for Tyler Richmond to choose an instrument to play during his sixth-grade year, his mom wanted him to play the French horn. “That’s what she played,” Richmond said, “but I just wasn ...

On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. rose to speak in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. "I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised ...