Existing comment:
The Star-Spangled Banner:
"Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."
-- Francis Scott Key, "The Star-Spangled Banner"
On the eve of the Battle of Baltimore, the young lawyer Francis Scott Key was in a group aboard a British ship attempting to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, an American imprisoned for jailing looting British soldiers. The British then detailed the Americans to prevent them from carrying news of the impending assault. After the bombardment ended, Key penned the lyrics to "The Star Spangled Banner," which was officially adopted as America's national anthem in 1931. |