God of our fathers, whose almighty hand

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand. Daniel Crane Roberts* (1841-1907). Written in 1876 to mark the centenary of the US Declaration of Independence, this is a hymn that celebrates responsible freedom, and prays for blessing on a nation. It was written when Roberts was rector of St Thomas’s, Brandon, Vermont, and first sung there (to RUSSIAN HYMN). It was included in the American Episcopal Church’s Hymnal Revised and Enlarged (1892), and in the same year it was widely used to commemorate the centenary of the United States Constitution. For that occasion George William Warren*, organist of St Thomas’s Church, New York, composed a majestic tune with trumpet fanfares, which has been given...