The Star Spangled Banner

Our National Anthem

On the morning of September 13, 1814, during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key boarded a British warship in Chesapeake Bay under a flag of truce. His mission was to secure the release of a civilian held prisoner, but once aboard he was unable to leave because the fleet had begun its attack on Ft. McHenry. The bombardment lasted 25 hours. When the smoke had cleared the following morning, Key looked at the fort to discover that it had not surrendered, that "our flag was still there." He began scribbling a poem and completed it by the time he got to shore. Initially printed as "The Defence of Ft. McHenry" ("Tune-'Ancreaon in Heaven'"), the title was later changed to "The Star Spangled Banner." On March 3, 1931, it became our official national anthem.

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