Does God Bless America?

In 1918, while he was serving in the Army in upstate New York, Irving Berlin wrote the song “God Bless America.” It wasn’t until 20 years later in 1938 when Berlin, a Russian Jew, thought the song ought to be revived and used as a peaceful tool against the propaganda being spread by Adolf Hitler in Germany. The song grew in popularity and was adopted for use at public events like parades, baseball games, and political campaigns. The ideology behind the song led to the co-opting of its refrain, written by a Jewish man, by Christian presidents, to the point that now, it’s almost impossible to imagine a president ending an important speech without saying “God bless America.”