Francis Scott Key's The Star-Spangled Banner

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“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States, originally written by the well-known Francis Scott Key. The anthem that we know today was first written by Key as a poem on September 14, 1814, during which time he was aboard a British warship in the War of 1812, negotiating the release of his friend, Dr. William Beanes. It was during the battle of Fort McHenry that Key witnessed the relentless bombardment of British cannonfire upon the Maryland fort. On the shore, the persistent American defenders refused to let a few measly cannonballs knock down their fort. Inspired, Key felt compelled to write about what he saw. It was his poem, “The Star-Spangled-Banner”, that would later become not only a published song in 1931, but a national treasure for all …show more content…
As Key’s poem increasingly gained popularity after being printed in newspapers throughout the country, it was eventually set to the music of a popular English drinking tune by the name of “To Anacreon in Heaven.” In time, the American people began to refer to Key’s smash hit as “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In 1916, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson gave an executive order that this song be played at all official events. It was officially adopted as the anthem of the United States on March 3, 1931. Contrary to popular belief, the flag was in fact entitled “Defence of Fort M’Henry” before the name was changed to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Also, although just the first verse is typically sung at American festivities, the anthem actually has three other lesser-known verses following the first and most popular. It was right up there with “Hail Columbia” and “Yankee Doodle.” It took 40 failed attempts to pass through Congress before it finally become the country’s anthem in 1931. The first time the national anthem was sung was during the seventh-inning stretch of the 1918 professional baseball World Series between the Chicago cubs and the

Francis Scott Key's 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

Francis Scott Key famously wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812. Key had a friend who was imprisoned by the British. He went to Chesapeake bay to negotiate the freedom of his friend. After the negotiation, the British made the pair wait until the bombardment of Fort McHenry had ended. The bombardment turned into a day-long affair and at the end of the battle, the fort was still standing. This inspired Key to write a very patriotic poem. “The Defence of Fort McHenry” became very…

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Francis Scott Key's The Star-Spangled Banner

On September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’, which initially began as a poem that was later set to music, and became America’s national anthem(History.com). Its original title as a poem was “The Defence of Fort McHenry”, and it was recorded after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812 (History.com). The song was inspired by the lone U.S. flag still soaring over Fort McHenry(History.com). In recent years, fans and athletes…

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Who Is Marc Leepson's The Star-Spangled Banner

The Star - Spangled Banner is an anthem that is known by almost every American. Although most everyone is familiar with the anthem itself, not many people are familiar with the life of the man who wrote it. So by choosing to write about Francis Scott Key, it is my goals to understand his life and delve more deeply into what may have inspired him the night that he composed the anthem that America has come to know, respect, and honor. Thankfully, this book was fairly easy to find, I was able to…

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Francis Scott Key Research Paper

Francis Scott Key was a Caucasian man of average height. In many of his portraits, he was shown with short, golden hair. He did not have any disabilities. Like many at the time, Francis wore a variety of clothes but was seen wearing a jacket and a white neck scarf in one of his portraits. Frederick county, now known as Carroll county, is a small town north of Washington Dc. It is also where Francis Scott Key was born. Since it is a small and insignificant town, there is not much information specifically…

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Meriwether Lewis And Clark's Motivation For The Star Spangled Banner

battle that is maybe most prominent for the shelling of Baltimore harbor, which moved toward becoming Francis Scott Key's motivation for the Star-Spangled Banner.…

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How Has The American Flag Changed

of alternating red and white stripes with a red cross on a white field—Cross of St. George. George Washington and many others loved the idea and agreed with Franklin about the design. Later, the cross was changed to thirteen white stars arranged in a circle. Each star represented the thirteen original colonies…

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