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Publication of The Liberty Song in Boston

When
1768–1770
Where
Pennsylvania Journal and Pennsylvania Gazette; composition and setting; Thirteen Colonies; revision of lyrics
Episodes
4

"The Liberty Song," with lyrics by John Dickinson and set to the Royal Navy tune "Heart of Oak," first appeared in two Pennsylvania newspapers on July 7, 1768. The supplied sources do not support publication in the Boston Gazette on July 18, 1768, so the legacy row's date and venue are corrected.

Episodes

  1. 1768 · composition and settingAuthorship and musical setting

    John Dickinson wrote the lyrics, set to the Royal Navy anthem Heart of Oak.

  2. July 7, 1768 · Pennsylvania Journal and Pennsylvania GazetteFirst publication in Pennsylvania newspapers

    The Liberty Song first appeared in the Pennsylvania Journal and the Pennsylvania Gazette on July 7, 1768, not in Boston.

  3. July 7, 1768 · Thirteen ColoniesEarly patriotic song and motto precedent

    One of the earliest patriotic songs in the Thirteen Colonies; its seventh verse parallels united we stand, divided we fall.

  4. 1770 · revision of lyricsLyrics updated in 1770

    The lyrics were updated in 1770 to reflect growing tensions between England and the Colonies.

Background and detail

Background. "The Liberty Song" is a pre-American Revolutionary War song whose lyrics were written by Founding Father John Dickinson. It was set to the tune of "Heart of Oak," the anthem of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.

Publication. The song was first published in two colonial newspapers, the Pennsylvania Journal and the Pennsylvania Gazette, both on July 7, 1768. The supplied sources record no Boston Gazette appearance on July 18, 1768, so the legacy row's venue and date cannot be admitted.

Significance. The song is notable as one of the earliest patriotic songs in the Thirteen Colonies. Dickinson's seventh verse offers the earliest known publication of a phrase paralleling the motto "united we stand, divided we fall," a slogan that has recurred throughout U.S. history.

People involved

Sources

  1. The Liberty Song Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-11

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.