Existing comment:
"The Star-Spangled Banner" Manuscript
Baltimore, Maryland, September 1814
Francis Scott Key
This is the earliest known version of the song in Key's handwriting. The strikeouts and revisions give evidence that this is likely the first draft of what would eventually become the National Anthem of the United States. Within days of the bombardment, the song was printed on handbills and broadsides and published in newspapers. |