The Atlantic Marks America's 250th Anniversary with 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' on Its Cover

The Atlantic's July 2026 issue commemorates the semiquincentennial of American independence by placing Julia Ward Howe's 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' on its cover, crediting her byline for the first time in the magazine's 169-year history. Howe wrote the poem in a single night at Washington D.C.'s Willard Hotel and submitted it to editor James T. Fields, who accepted it, titled it, and published it in February 1862 without her name attached. Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg describes the poem as the most consequential piece ever published in the magazine, arguing it transcends its Civil War origins to speak to enduring American ideals. The issue includes an essay by staff historian Jake Lundberg characterizing the 'Battle Hymn' as America's unofficial national anthem, more culturally resonant across history than 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Additional pieces in the issue address the betrayal of Black military officers, written by Clint Smith, and an essay by Yoni Appelbaum on the polarized debate over how American history should be taught and understood. Appelbaum warns that creedal nationalism, long a unifying force, has become a vulnerability in an era of deep political division. The issue reflects the magazine's founding ambition to serve as a forum for arguments about the American idea in all its complexity.