Irving Berlin was a child when his family escaped violent Jewish persecution in Russia. Their home was burned down. His family found refuge in America. Irving sold newspapers at age 8 to help feed his family.
He then began selling songs, which launched his career. In the early rumblings of WWII, Irving felt compelled to complete a love letter song to the country he was so grateful for. God Bless America resonated with people and became an instant hit. It was used to boost the morale of troops on the front lines and to sell war bonds. The song became an alternative to the national anthem because it was so easy to sing. Americans spontaneously sang it anywhere and without musical instruments. After the war, people kept falling in love with it as it was adopted by the civil rights movement and labor rights movements as their personal anthems. The KKK tried to ban it because Irving was Jewish.
Because this song was his love letter to America, he refused to accept a penny from it. He directed all royalties to go to both girl and boy scout charities that serve poor communities, like the places he once came from. This is the story of America — pass it on for our 250th Birthday.
