America’s well-known national anthem came about in a time of war. More specifically, during the War of 1812 when English troops invaded portions of the United States, even setting fire to the Capitol building.
After the actions in Washington DC, the British moved toward Baltimore and Fort McHenry. They seized leading citizens along the way, holding them as hostages on British warships to prevent American attacks. One of the captives was Dr. William Beanes. Beanes’ friends prevailed upon young Baltimore attorney Francis Scott Key and John Skinner, the US government liaison agent, to negotiate for Beanes’ freedom. The pair secured his release. But because the British were about to launch their attack on Fort McHenry, all three were temporarily detained on board a British ship.
The British navy, with superior weaponry, placed 16 of its ships inside the harbor around Fort McHenry, safely beyond the reach of its guns but within the range of their own. For 25 hours, the British carried out a relentless bombardment on the fort.
The three Americans couldn’t tell if the firing had stopped because the fort had fallen or because the British had given up. Rising well before dawn the morning of September 14, 1814, they strained to see what had befallen the fort. Was the American flag still waving? Key pulled a letter from his pocket, and on the back started to scribble a poem about what he was experiencing at that moment. It began with a simple question he asked as he peered through the early morning darkness:
O, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
But the fort had not surrendered. In fact, the smaller American flag that was flying in the rain when the battle began was replaced by the massive garrison flag that now waved proudly atop the 90’ flagpole!
The three were soon released from the British ship. After reaching his hotel room, Key completed his poem. The last verse summarized what Americans so strongly felt:
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
Key’s poem, called “The Defense of Ft. McHenry,” was soon published. It was sung to the melody of a popular British tune and was eventually titled the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a federal law making it our official National Anthem. Thus, each year on March 3rd, we should pause to honor our national anthem and to study the inspiring story behind it!
