He is depicted as angry at the people "He is trampling the grape harvest where the grapes of wrath are kept;" (Line 2). It is destroying the "vintage", the old. Grapes of wrath refers to the temper of the gods, grapes are everything that exists on earth, especially humans. During the American Civil War there were many people who believed that the war was God's punishment for using others despite their color differences. The verse ends with “His truth is marching” (line 4). The conclusion of the first verse is that God is on the side of truth. The poetess lived in the North with her husband, who was a health inspector. They (the North) believed he was on the right side. Howe is preparing the rest of the verses of Jesus “marching” onto the battlefield. Furthermore, the next verse is about the people and their tribute