From Sea to Shining Sea Katharine Lee Bates and the Story of America the Beautiful
October 19, 2025
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
118 Elliot
118 Elliot St Brattleboro VT 05301
Join us for a screening of this short, but powerful film, followed by a conversation with filmmaker John deGraaf.
As we count down to the United States’ 250th anniversary, From Sea to Shining Sea invites us to recommit to the ideals Katharine Lee Bates embedded in her timeless anthem. The film is a moving tribute to Bates’s belief that true patriotism embraces social justice, shared beauty, and collective responsibility.
This program is part of the America 250 Series, a collaboration with Brooks
Memorial Library, Windham World Affairs Council, and Vermont Independent Media,
publisher of The Commons, 118 Elliot, and is made possible, in part, through a generous grant
from the Vermont Humanities Council.
Bates’s poem—America the Beautiful—was never about unqualified triumph. She wrote to inspire deeper reflection. The poem is powerful reminder that making America beautiful requires justice, empathy, and civic courage. She saw beauty not just in landscapes but in ideals, and she asked us to mend our flaws, temper self-interest, and honor equality under law.
From Sea to Shining Sea explores the remarkable life of Katharine Lee Bates, poet, professor, and social reformer, beginning with her childhood in Falmouth. An unsung hero, Bates was deeply committed to the beauty and principles of our country. America The Beautiful may be America’s most beloved song. Yet few know about the fascinating life of Katharine Lee Bates, the Falmouth-born Wellesley college professor who wrote the lyrics to the song. Her story should not be forgotten, nor its context.
The first words of the song came to Bates as she surveyed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains from the broad summit of Colorado’s Pike’s Peak on July 22, 1893. Her verses acknowledge that the United States has often not lived up to its promises and ideals, yet it honors the unbroken chain of Americans who strived to make it all it can be – from sea to shining sea.
The 37 minute film will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker John deGraaf. He is an acclaimed author, filmmaker, speaker and activist with a mission to help create a happy, healthy and sustainable quality of life for America. He has been producing and directing documentaries for public television for more than forty years. His 50 films, including 15 prime time PBS specials, have won more than 100 regional, national and international awards. He is the author of four books, including Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. The John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award, named for him, is presented annually at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in California.
Enjoy an unexpected homage found in the 50th anniversary of Ray Charles’ recording. (It comes 3:10 minutes in).
