Troubling lyrics

Very often I wonder if I think too much. Or if I have studied too much. Consequently, there are many songs that I do not like simply because their lyrics are false. One such song is the beloved, "America, the Beautiful," which I strongly dislike being sung at the Holy Mass, but for the reason to which many will quickly jump.

Written by Katherine Lee Bates, the second verse sings:

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!

This line has always disturbed me greatly considering the way Catholics were treated here for th first several centuries. One must not forget that Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore as a home for Catholics in which to settle, being persecuted elsewhere.

Simply consider this historical fact, pointed out by William at This Day in Catholic History: On this day in 1647, Catholic priests were banned by law from the colony of Massachussets. Should a Catholic priest be found a second time in the colony, he was to be punished by death.

Is this the "thoroughfare of freedom" beat by the pilgrim's feet?

These United States have come a long way since their founding, but there is much work yet to be done. And it can only be done with a more accurate understanding of the history of this country.