John Philip Sousa was more than a composer. He was the heartbeat of an emerging America, a man whose marches made a young nation stand taller. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1854, Sousa rose from a Marine Band apprentice to the most recognized bandleader in the world. His music carried the pride of parades, the dignity of ceremony, and the thrill of unity.

Yet behind the polished brass and crisp snare rolls was a man wary of the new century. He distrusted the phonograph and the player piano, calling them “canned music” and warning that machines might steal the soul from art. Still, the sound of The Stars and Stripes Forever endures as his defiant answer.

Tonight, we march alongside the man who gave America its rhythm and refused to let progress silence the spirit behind the song. This is Dave Does History.