Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes | A Poem of Hope - ThePoemStory

Langston Hughes’ poem Let America Be America Again is a powerful critique of the American Dream and a call for true freedom and equality. Written in 1935 during the Great Depression, the poem reflects the struggles of marginalized communities, including African Americans, immigrants, and the working class. Hughes contrasts the idealized vision of America with the harsh reality faced by many, ultimately expressing hope that America can become the land of opportunity it promises to be.

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A picture of Langston Hughes and his famous poem title "Let America be America Again". The lines from his poem written.

Let America Be America Again Poem Lyrics

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed–
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek–
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean–
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today–O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home–
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,
And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came
To build a “homeland of the free.”

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay–
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.

O, let America be America again–
The land that never has been yet–
And yet must be–the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine–the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME–
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose–
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath–
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain–
All, all the stretch of these great green states–
And make America again!
Let America be America again
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

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Line-by-line Meaning of the Poem – Let America Be America Again

Let America Be America Again Meaning ~ Stanza 1-4:

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed–
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

Hughes starts with a plea: “Let America be America again.” He wants the country to live up to its ideals of freedom and opportunity.
He refers to the pioneer spirit, emphasizing self-reliance and a fair chance for all.
However, the parenthetical line “(America never was America to me.)” introduces doubt, showing that for many, these promises have never been fulfilled.

Let America Be America Again Meaning ~ Stanza 5-8:

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

He repeats the idea that America should be the dreamland of freedom, love, and fairness.
Again, the speaker challenges this notion by saying, “It never was America to me.”
Hughes wants a country where liberty is real and not just a false patriotic symbol.
But for him and others, equality and true freedom have never existed.

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Poems by Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again Meaning ~ Stanza 9-13:

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek–
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean–
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today–O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

The poem shifts to address marginalized groups: poor whites, Black people, Native Americans, and immigrants.
Each group has suffered oppression, exclusion, or exploitation under a system where “the mighty crush the weak.”
The young and hopeful are caught in a never-ending cycle of greed, profit, and exploitation.
Workers, farmers, and laborers remain trapped in poverty despite their hard work.

Let America Be America Again Meaning ~ Stanza 14-20:

Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home–
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,
And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came
To build a “homeland of the free.”

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay–
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

Hughes acknowledges that these struggling people are the ones who built America.
The poem highlights immigrants and enslaved Africans who came to America seeking freedom but found hardship instead.
He questions the idea of “freedom” when so many are suffering—people on relief, workers on strike, and the unemployed.
The American Dream seems to be dying, as millions struggle to survive.

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Langston Hughes Biography

Poems by Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again Meaning ~ Stanza 21-26:

O, let America be America again–
The land that never has been yet–
And yet must be–the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine–the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME–
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose–
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

The poet reaffirms his hope: “Let America be America again”—not the America that has existed, but one that must be built.
He calls on the oppressed—Black people, the poor, and Native Americans—to reclaim the dream.
Despite the hardships, he declares that true freedom cannot be stained or destroyed.

Let America Be America Again Meaning ~ Final Stanza:

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath–
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain–
All, all the stretch of these great green states–
And make America again!
Let America be America again
_{~ Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes}

Hughes ends with a strong, hopeful vow: “America will be!”
He calls for a people’s movement to reclaim the land, industries, and resources.
The poem closes with an urgent appeal to “make America again”—a vision of justice and equality for all.

Synopsis of Let America Be America Again Poem

The poem reflects the unfulfilled promise of the American Dream. Hughes contrasts the ideals of freedom, opportunity, and equality with the reality of systemic oppression, racism, and economic injustice. He highlights the struggles of various marginalized groups but remains hopeful that the people can reclaim and rebuild America into what it should be.

Summary of Let America Be America Again Poem

Langston Hughes’ Let America Be America Again is a poem about disillusionment with the American Dream. It critiques a society where the powerful exploit the weak and where true freedom and equality have never existed for all. Hughes speaks for workers, immigrants, and racial minorities who have suffered under this broken system. Despite this, he remains hopeful, urging people to fight for a better America that lives up to its ideals. The poem is both a critique and a call to action, inspiring change and justice.