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Some say that the words “we shall overcome” are some of the most influential words. This song is a very powerful song. It became the African American civil rights movement activists’ national anthem. Many people say that it started in the churches and on picket lines. But where did it really come from and who really wrote it? Charlie Tindley wrote “I’ll Overcame Some Day” in 1900. the words to “We Shall Overcome were derived from this song. I also got it’s lines “deep in my heart I do believe/I’ll overcome some day” the song passed through many people before it became the song that we all know. A lady by the name of Lucille Simmons sang it on the picket lines and passed it on Zilphia Horton who taught it to Pete Seeger. Seeger changed the name from “We Will Overcome” to “We Shall Overcome” and added the lines “ We’ll walk hand in hand” and “The whole wide world around” to the song. Hamilton then taught it to Guy Carawan. After Carawan the song spread by word of mouth. It soon became the anthem of for black labor unions and civil rights activists. In 1963 Joan Baez recorded it and performed it at the civil rights marches. President Lyndon Johnson even said “we shall overcome” in his speech in front of the congress in March of 1965. As you can see this song meant a lot to the people back in the day and has been true because we HAVE overcome.