A hundred and ninety eight years after it’s conception on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay by 35-year-old lawyer/amateur poet Francis Scott Key’s little poem to describe a faithful day in war now describes a nation as a whole.
During the War of 1812 between the British and the newly found American nation, a Prisoner of War was looking out of his boat jail cell in the Chesapeake Bay. What he was watching was the flag and the battling that was occurring on shore.
Key and John Stuart Skinner had set off after the burning of Washington with a mission from President James Madison, to exchange POW’s. However, since Key and Skinner heard of some of the British’s plan of attack, they were held hostage until after the attack.
Sitting in his cell during a rainy night and witnessing bombs bursting in air; Key saw the American storm Flag at half mass until the storm had pass. He knew he wouldn’t know how the battle would be decided until dawn.
By the following morning, when Key looked out his window; he saw the American Storm flag waving at full mass. Signalling an American victory.
Inspired by such a victory, (the American force was still building strength military wise whereas the British military was still at the same full force as they were during the Revolutionary War), Key started to write the poem that was soon to be the up and coming nation’s national anthem on a back of a piece of paper that he put in his watch pocket.
It wasn’t until he was back in his hotel when he completed the poem with the title known as, “Defence of Fort McHenry”. Key had imagine the tune of the poem to follow that of The Anacreontic Song. It is believed that “the words “the hireling and slave” allude to the fact that the British attackers had many ex-slaves in their ranks” because they were promised freedom and wanted to be out there in which they might hope to meet their former masters in battle.
Key gave his poem to his brother-in-law, Judge Joseph H. Nicholson whom liked it enough to turn it in to a Baltimore publication who had change the title over to “The Star Spangled Banner”. During the rest of the 19th century, the poem picked up steam as people started to use the poem on July 4th and when they rose the American Flag.
In 1916, it became the miltary and appropiate occasions as appointed by President Woodrow Wilson. By 1918, The Star Spangled Banner made it’s debut in sports with baseball, first as a 7th-inning stretch song in the 1918 World Series, then it became popular to use before baseball games.
It wasn’t until 1931, when President Herbert Hoover made the long use poem as the US’ National Anthem.
Now, we play it for the occasions mention above as well as having famous singers and athletes sing the anthem, and even little children performing the anthem with different and unique ways of performing it.
A hundred ninety eight years after it’s inception a poem that was written on a back of a piece of paper to describe a faithful battle in war has now become a poem that describes a nation as a whole.
source:
JMcDonaldMedia 
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