Songs of the Civil War Everybody s Dixie The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Transcription

1 Songs of the Civil War Everybody s Dixie The Battle Hymn of the Republic

2 Everybody s Dixie By Albert Pike Southrons hear your country call you Rise lest worse than death befall you Lo, the beacon fires are lighted Let all hearts be now united And advance the flag of Dixie; Hoorah! Hoorah! For in Dixie Land we'll take our stand To live and die for Dixie To Arms! To Arms! And conquer peace for Dixie! Shoulder pressing close to shoulder Let the odds make each heart bolder Shun no danger, fear no labor Lift up rifle, pike and saber And advance the flag of Dixie; Hoorah! Hoorah! For in Dixie Land we'll take our stand To live and die for Dixie To Arms! To Arms! And conquer peace for Dixie!

3 The Battle Hymn of the Republic By Julia Ward Howe Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of Wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible Swift sword; His truth is marching on. His truth is marching on. I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling Camps; They have building Him an altar in the evening dews and Damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring Lamps; His day is marching on. His day is marching on. I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel; "As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall Deal; Let the hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since God is marching on."

4 Since God is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call Retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment Seat; Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, My feet! Our God is marching on. Since God is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the Sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on. While God is marching on.

5 Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to address every aspect of each one. 1) In the song Everybody s Dixie, Albert Pike makes several references to taking a stand and living and dying for Dixie. What do you think he was attempting to accomplish with these words? 2) What do you suppose Albert Pike meant by the words Conquer peace for Dixie? 3) In the second stanza of Everybody s Dixie, Pike uses the lines Hear the Northern thunders mutter! Northern flags in South winds flutter! What do those lines mean? 4) In the third stanza of Everybody s Dixie are the lines Shoulder pressing close to shoulder, Let the odds make each heart bolder! What is meant by these lines? 5) In the final stanza of Everybody s Dixie, Pike makes reference to smiles washing away tears tomorrow. What do you think he meant by that? Why would Southerners soon be smiling? 6) In the third stanza of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, who is the serpent and what is meant by crushing it with its heel? 7) In the fourth stanza, Julia Howe makes reference to sounding forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat. What do you suppose she meant by that? What does it mean to sift out the hearts of man before His judgment seat? 8) In the Battle Hymn of the Republic, why do you think there are so many references to God and His truth marching on? What do you believe Julia Ward Howe was trying to convey with these words? 9) In the final stanza of the Battle Hymn of the Republic are the words as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free. In Howe s mind, what is the war truly about? 10) What do these two songs, both written early in the conflict, say about the authors opinions of going to war? Do you believe that most people living in the North and South felt the same way? Explain.

6 Answers 1) He was attempting to inspire the Southern people to fight. 2) The South could only gain peace through fighting and winning their independence. 3) He was referring to the sounds of war, or the North s saber rattling. Northern flags in South winds flutter indicates that the South had been invaded and Southerners needed to rise up to defend their homes. 4) The Southern army is outnumbered, but the challenge should be met with even stiffer resistance. 5) He indicates that Southerners would soon be smiling after achieving victory in the war. The tears are for the pain endured and the Southern lives lost, but the sacrifice would be worth it if they won independence. 6) Serpents have been traditionally used to portray evil, and in this case evil is the rebellion or slavery. The hero would be man, or the Union Army, crushing the South, slavery, and the rebellion. 7) The trumpet is the cause or the crusade that the Union Army is involved in. She is indicating that they will not quit until they emerge victorious. The second part is referencing the fact that Christian scripture indicates that all men must stand and be judged before God upon their deaths. Sins are to be punished. She is indicating that the South is being made to pay for its sins. 8) She is attempting to convey that the Union Army is conducting a holy war to abolish slavery. She is indicating that God is on their side. 9) Abolishing slavery. 10) Both songs indicate that the author was very eager, perhaps excited, about the prospects of fighting the war. They were both extremely confident of their side achieving victory. Answers will vary for part two.