Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr. Poem, The History of the U.S.

Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr. was a poet who wrote a famous poem about U.S. history. She lived from 1902 to 1983.

Here is the ORIGINAL poem, as published in the anthology Yankee Doodles: A Book of American Verse, edited by Ted Malone and published in 1943 by Whittlesey House (NY and London).

“The History of The U.S.”
by Winifred Sackville Stoner

In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue
And found this land, land of the Free, beloved by you, beloved by me.

And in the year sixteen and seven, good Captain Smith thought he’d reach Heav’n,
And then he founded Jamestown City, alas, ’tis gone, oh, what a pity.

’Twas in September sixteen nine, with ship, Half Moon, a read Dutch sign,
That Henry Hudson found the stream, the Hudson River of our dream.

In sixteen twenty, pilgrims saw our land that had no unjust law.
Their children live here to this day, proud citizens of U.S.A.

In sixteen hundred eighty-three, good William Penn stood ’neath a tree
And swore that unto his life’s end he would be the Indian’s friend.

In seventeen hundred seventy-five, good Paul Revere was then alive;
He rode like wild throughout the night, and called the Minute Men to fight.

Year seventeen hundred seventy-six, July the fourth, this date please fix
Within your minds, my children dear, for that was Independence Year.

In that same year on a bitter night at Trenton was an awful fight,
But by our brave George Washington the battle was at last well won.

Two other dates in your mind fix—Franklin born in seventeen six,
And Washington first said “Boo-Hoo” in seventeen hundred thirty-two.

In seventeen hundred seventy-nine, Paul Jones, who was a captain fine,
Gained our first naval victory fighting on the big, wide sea.

And in the year eighteen and four, Lewis and Clark both went before,
And blazed for us the Oregon Trail where men go now in ease by rail.

In eighteen hundred and thirteen, on great Lake Erie could be seen
Our Perry fight the Union Jack and drive it from our shores far back.

In eighteen hundred and sixty-one, an awful war was then begun
Between the brothers of our land, who now together firmly stand.

In eighteen hundred sixty-three, each slave was told that he was free
By Lincoln, with whom few compare in being kind and just and fair.

In eighteen hundred eighty-one, at Panama there was begun
By good De Lesseps, wise and great, the big canal, now our ship’s gate.

At San Juan, eighteen ninety-eight, our brave Rough Riders lay in wait,
And on the land brought victory, while Dewey won it on the sea.

In nineteen hundred and fifteen, was shown a panoramic screen
At San Francisco’s wondrous fair; all peoples were invited there.

But cruel war in that same year kept strangers from our land o’ cheer,
And nineteen seventeen brought here the war that filled our hearts with fear.

Thank God in nineteen eighteen Peace on earth again was seen,
And we are praying that she’ll stay forever in our U.S.A.

Columbus Poem and Song

"In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue."

Want to read the rest of the poem or learn a song about Columbus? Look here.

Civil War Events

Use this mnemonic device to help remember some important events of the Civil War:

Four Bulls Ate Everything Very Greedily!

Four = Fort Sumter is where the first shots were fired, April 12-13, 1861.
Bulls = Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle, July 21, 1861. AKA the Battle of Manassas.
Ate = Antietam, the bloodiest battle, Sept. 17, 1862.
Everything = Emancipation Proclamation, Sept. 22, 1862. Lincoln declared that slaves living in states that were rebelling against the federal government were now free. This actually did not free very many slaves.
Very = Battle of Vicksburg, an important battle for control of the Mississippi River, May 22 - July 4, 1863.
Greedily = Gettysburg Address, Lincoln's famous speech to dedicate the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA, November 19, 1863.

Remember, the Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865!