Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
“Let America Be America Again” is a poem written in 1935 by American poet Langston Hughes. It was originally published in the July 1936 issue of Esquire Magazine. The poem speaks of the American dream that never existed for the lower-class American and the freedom and equality that every immigrant hoped for but never received.
Enjoy the entire poem here: Let America Be America Again
I came from a dirt poor farm in the 50s and I have written many stories about the hardships and many stories of life, love And .living. We had nothing much to speak of but to us we had an abundance, food to eat, a little white church to attend, and the love of family. For me this was America, that we had the ability to do what we felt needed doing and we held our destiny in our own hands. I am proud to say this was America to me.