Singing America: Teaching History Through Song

Songs such as ‘The Battle of New Orleans,’ ‘Oh! Susanna,’ and the national anthem serve as miniature history lessons for old and young alike.

Music is a fun and creative way to teach history to kids. Biba Kayewich

In 1959, country-rockabilly singer Johnny Horton released “The Battle of New Orleans.” Here are the opening lyrics of what became his signature song:

In 1814 we took a little trip Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip’ We took a little bacon and we took a little beans And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans

We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin’ There wasn’t as many as there was a while ago We fired once more and they began to runnin’ On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico Horton won fame and a Grammy for this No.1 hit, which remains a part of our culture even today, but another musician, Jimmy Driftwood, wrote it. In the 1930s, Driftwood was teaching history in his native state of Arkansas when he composed music, including the New Orleans song, to teach his students about U.S. history and to inspire them to learn more.

In Horton’s tragically short life—he died at age 35, killed in a car wreck by a drunken driver—he put out a number of Americana songs, such as “Jim Bridger,” “O’Leary’s Cow,” “Johnny Reb,” and “Comanche.” Although none of these achieved the garlands awarded “The Battle of New Orleans,” all received radio airtime and were compiled into an album.

Horton, Driftwood, and others have a lesson for the rest of us, particularly parents and teachers: Music is a great way to teach history to young people.

The Way It Works and Why

Learning history is a process of accretion. A child asks mom why we celebrate the Fourth of July, and she explains the rudiments of Independence Day. Later, names such as Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence, and King George III attach themselves to this original explanation. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” appears in this accumulation of facts, and with luck and effort, as the child grows into adolescence and adulthood, this inventory of details keeps growing, as does a deeper understanding of our U.S. freedoms.

Music can work like that mother’s words. It’s the grain of sand in the oyster of knowledge, which eventually becomes a pearl of insight and wisdom about our past.

Look again at those lyrics above, and we see that the song teaches listeners that in 1814, Americans gathered in New Orleans to fight the British, a man named Jackson was the leader (that’s Andrew Jackson, who later became president), and the Americans won a great victory against overwhelming odds.

As to why music is an effective learning tool, we need only recollect songs that became embedded in our minds when we were young, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Many of us also still recognize and can even sing along with songs we heard on the radio as teens, while the facts we learned in 11th-grade U.S. history lessons may be long forgotten.

Music is a fun and creative way to teach history to kids. Biba Kayewich

Starting Off

Preschoolers, kindergartners, and many elementary school students absorb and memorize information with less difficulty than most adults. They also relish toe-tapping music.

In our digital age, teaching them songs from and about the United States’ past is easier than ever. Search online for “children’s songs about U.S. history,” and the screen lights up with sites full of great music.

When my children were in this age group, my wife and I taught them patriotic and folk songs using the song collection “Wee Sing America.” Among the 52 selections, you’ll not only find classics such as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Sweet Betsy From Pike” but also quotes from famous Americans and bits of history, such as the preamble to the Constitution.

You then reinforce the songs with stories and books. “Drill, Ye Tarriers,” for example, offers a great opportunity to read and talk about railroads in the mid-19th century and the immigrant laborers who helped build them. “Cape Cod Chantey” can spark a discussion of whaling boats and life at sea. Many of the songs and quotes not only teach a love of country but also open a door to figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr.

The American Songbook

For teens, music is ideal for kicking off or sustaining interest in our past.

The Civil War, for instance, produced dozens of songs, many of which can bring home the issues and passions of that age. Contrast “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” with the South’s “Bonnie Blue Flag,” and you breathe life into textbook history.

“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” speaks to the devastating effects of the Great Depression, while the poignant 1938 hit by Judy Garland, “Over the Rainbow”—which some regard as the greatest song of the 20th century—captures the aspirations of many living in that time of broken dreams.

And once again, technology provides easy access to a nearly endless abundance of resources. An excellent video titled “Music of the American Revolution” features 83 minutes of live music from that era, accompanied by commentary. It constitutes a short course in the Revolutionary War. Leap forward 200 years for a study of the mid-1960s: Barry McGuire’s version of “Eve of Destruction” contains half a dozen talking points on everything from the fear of nuclear war to Red China to the voting age in the United States.

Classroom and Group Singing

In the small North Carolina town where I spent my elementary school years, songs about the United States were part of the curriculum. “Oh! Susanna,” “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” “America,” the Marine Corps Hymn, the state song, and more were all a part of our life in the classroom. Again, the teachers frequently tied the music to our lessons.

Public schools, private academies, and homeschool groups can do the same today. Teachers and parents can teach a song such as “Yankee Doodle” to the younger crew, explaining a bit about the song’s place in our history, while older students might take a look at Stephen Foster’s many Americana pieces or songs typical of an era.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” for instance, was a huge hit with GIs during World War II, while the UK banned the song from the airwaves for fear that it would lower troop morale. Teach the words to our national anthem, and you’re off and running on a lesson about the War of 1812.

From its folk songs to its pieces such as Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” our country is blessed with a rich musical heritage. With a little effort and imagination, we can pass along that legacy to our young while teaching them the history echoed in that music.