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Francis Scott Key -- Convictions and Contradictions:
Francis Scott Key was a man of contradictions in an era of equally complex social and political issues.
In 1814, Key was a well-connected Maryland lawyer from Georgetown with both an uncle and friends in Congress. A talented poet and eloquent speaker, he argued against a war in which he feared that America might be shedding blood needlessly. Yet he saw the necessity of defending his homeland as a member of the militia.
Key also tried to reconcile being a slaveholder with his firm belief in justice and the teachings of his Christian faith. He believed slavery was wrong in principle and freed some of his own slaves. However, he feared the social and economic consequences of mass emancipation, favoring a more gradual process of sending free blacks to a colony in Africa. He argued legal cases for slaveholders, but also for the rights of free African Americans seeking freedom. A contemporary even said he was "ready to brave odium or even personal danger in their behalf."
These contradictions resonate in Key's famous words. He wrote of the "home of the free," but knew that millions lived enslaved in the United States. His song commemorated a violent battle, yet he detested the blood of war. Such are the complexities of the man and his moment. |