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by Alex Cosper (9/7/16) United States history is not one of America's most knowledgeable topics. Part of the problem is that history is taught in such a boring fashion in public schools, much like math. They never explain why what they make you remember is important and just try to force hard facts down your throat. These facts are usually told without much emotion or sense of curiosity. Music has been proven to be a learning tool on many levels. Through song lyrics, it's possible to make any form of education more insightful. Melodies do not have to be complex. In fact, the more simple the song is, the easier it is to remember, which is the true power of educational songwriter. There are plenty of popular as well as unknown songs with an intent just to be enjoyable that still pass the test of explaining moments in history. So here is a loose history of the U.S. with the help of well known songs from various eras. Not all the songs listed here are about the specific historic events they are associated with, put they still help paint pictures of historic scenery. 1776 - Declaration of Independence Neil Young - Keep On Rockin' In the Free World 1787 - Birth of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 Sandy Wilbur - We The People (The Constitution Song) 1789 - George Washington Becomes the First President Mr. Beat's Social Studies Channel - The George Washington Song 1812 - War of 1812 With Britain Johnny Horton - Battle of New Orleans 1833 - End of the Central Bank Beatles - You Never Give Me Your Money 1837 - Panic of 1837 Jayber Crow - Panic of 1837 1849 - California Gold Rush Oh Susanna! (traditional) 1861 - Civil War Battle Hymn of the Republic (traditional) 1863 - First Transcontinental Railroad I've Been Working on the Railroad (traditional) 1865 - Age of Recontruction Lincoln and Liberty (traditional) 1877 - Invention of the Telephone Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line 1900 - Modern Industrial Revolution Dire Straits - Industrial Disease 1907 - Panic of 1907 Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watch Tower 1908 - Ford Begins to Mass Produce the Model T Gary Numan - Cars 1913 - 16th Amendment: Birth of the IRS Beatles - Taxman 1913 - Passage of the Federal Reserve Act O'Jays - For the Love of Money 1917 - World War I Begins Morton Harvey - I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be a Soldier 1919 - Beginning of Prohibition Era, Outlawing Alcohol Billy Murray - Alcoholic Blues (Prohibition Song) 1920 - Women's Suffrage Music of the Nation Singers - Daughters of Freedom 1920 - Radio Spreads Across America Irving Kaufman - I Wish There Was a Wireless To Heaven 1927 - First Talking Film: The Jazz Singer Al Jolson - Blue Skies 1929 - Stock Market Crash and Great Depression Begins Bing Crosby - Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? 1933 - FDR Introduces the New Deal Leo Reisman & His Orchestra - Happy Days Are Here Again 1933 - End of Prohibition John Lee Hooker - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer 1938 - Orson Welles Hosts "War of the Worlds" Radio Broadcast Ella Fitzgerald - Two Little Men In a Flying Saucer 1939 - Hitler Invades Poland, Starting WWII Die Wacht Am Rhein (German military song) 1941 - US Introduces First Peacetime Draft Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy 1941 - Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor, US Enters WWII Don Reid & Sammy Kaye - Remember Pearl Harbor 1944 - FDR Signs G.I. Bill, which Expands U.S. Middle Class Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land 1945 - US and Allied Forces Win WWII Rush - Manhattan Project 1950 - US Enters War with Korea Jackie Doll & His Pickled Peppers - When They Drop the Atomic Bomb 1951 - I Love Lucy Ushers in Television Show Format I Love Lucy TV Theme 1955 - Rock and Roll Enters American Mainstream Bill Haley & The Comets - Rock Around the Clock 1956 - Interstate Highway Act Passes to Build Coast to Coast Highways Nat King Cole - Route 66 1960 - JFK Becomes Youngest Elected President, The New Frontier Begins Frank Sinatra - High Hopes (Kennedy Campaign Version, 1960) 1962 - First U.S. Satellite Launched to Transmit Pictures from Space Tornados - Telstar 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 1963 - JFK Assassination Byrds - He Was a Friend of Mine 1964 - Beatles Invade America, Appear on Ed Sullivan Show Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand 1964 - Civil Rights Act Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come 1964 - Gulf of Tonkin Incident Escalates Vietnam War Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction 1965 - Color TV Begins to Dominate Networks Theme from Gilligan's Island 1965 - Rise of the War Protest Movement Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marchin' Anymore 1966 - John Lennon Says Beatles are "Bigger Than Jesus" Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows 1968 - MLK and RFK Assassinations Dion - Abraham, Martin and John 1969 - Neil Armstrong Is the First Man on the Moon David Bowie - Space Oddity 1969 - Beatles Perform for First Global Satellite Broadcast Beatles - All You Need Is Love 1970 - Nixon Orders Shooting of Kent State Students Crosby, Stills, Nasy & Young - Ohio 1971 - Decline of Counter-Culture Movement Don McLean - American Pie 1972 - Women's Liberation Movement Helen Reddy - I Am Woman 1973 - US Oil Embargo Causes Oil Shortage NRBQ - Get That Gasoline Blues 1974 - Nixon Resigns Over Watergate Scandal Stevie Wonder - You Haven't Done Nothing 1975 - US Involvement in Vietnam War Comes to an End Paul Hardcastle - 19 1979 - Iran Captures US Hostages REM - Ignoreland 1981 - Launch of MTV Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 1987 - Iran Contra Affair - Reagan Admits Trading Arms for Hostages Don Henley - All She Wants To Do Is Dance 1989 - Fall of the Berlin Wall Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now 1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union Red Flag - Russian Radio 1991 - US Bombs Iran to Block Kuwait Invasion Bad Religion - Atomic Garden 1997 - Beginning of the Dot-com Bubble Prince - Computer Blue 2000 - Crash of the Dot-com Bubble Three Doors Down - Kryptonite 2001 - World Trade Center Attacked on 9/11 Enya - Only Time |
