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Imagine you are at a ball game. You hear music. People stand up and put their hands over their hearts. Then, someone begins to sing. What is going on? The song is "The Star-Spangled Banner." It is our national anthem. A national anthem is a special song that stands for a nation. Where did "The Star-Spangled Banner" come from? Its story starts long ago with the War of 1812.
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At War Again:
America was once ruled by Great Britain. Then, there was a war between America and Britain. The Americans won. They started a new nation called the United States of America. Years later, a war started between Great Britain and France. The king of England tried to make American sailors fight for Great Britain. This made Americans angry. In 1812, the United States went to war with the British.
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Two years later, the war was still going on. British soldiers burned the White House, where the president lived. Then, they decided to attack Baltimore, Maryland. The British knew Baltimore was an important city. Ships brought goods there for Americans to buy.
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A Fort and a Flag:
Fort McHenry helped keep Baltimore safe. The fort was near the water. It was shaped like a big star. In 1813, the leader of Fort McHenry ordered a flag for the fort. He wanted it to be big enough for the British to see from far away. A flag maker named Mary Pickersgill made the flag. Her daughter and other people helped. It took them six weeks to make the flag.
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Fort McHenry's flag looked different from today's American flag. It had 15 red-and-white stripes. It had 15 stars. The flag was also very large. Each star was twice as big as a basketball! The flag was as tall as five people standing on top of each other.
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Francis Scott Key:
A well-known man named Dr. William Beanes lived near Baltimore. British soldiers captured him. They took him to a ship as a prisoner. Francis Scott Key was a Baltimore lawyer. He was also a friend to William. He was asked to talk to the British about setting William free. On September 13, 1814, Francis went to the ship.
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The British said they would let William go. But, they were ready to attack Fort McHenry. They said no one could leave the ship until the battle was over. The British ships started firing rockets and bombs. Francis and William had to stand on the deck and watch. Everyone kept their eyes on the flag that flew over Fort McHenry.
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The Rockets' Red Glare:
Rockets and bombs fell all day. There was nothing the soldiers at Fort McHenry could do. Their guns could not reach the British ships. Then night came. Flames from the rockets lit up the sky. Even so, it was hard to see the flag.
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The next morning, Francis looked toward the fort. The huge flag was still flying! Fort McHenry was safe. Francis Scott Key was also a poet. He started to write on the back of a letter. The poem he wrote was the beginning of "The Star-Spangled Banner." It told how he felt when he saw the flag still flying over the fort.
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In the News:
Back in Baltimore, Francis finished the poem. Someone took it to a print shop and made copies. The poem was called "The Defence of Fort McHenry." Many people read the poem. On September 20, Francis's poem appeared in the Baltimore newspaper. Now it had a new name. It was called "The Star Spangled Banner."
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Other newspapers printed the poem. Before long, people started to sing the words. The tune they used belonged to an old English song. The song became more and more well-known. People sang it to honor the United States. Children learned the words in school. In 1931, Congress changed the spelling slightly. It made "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem of the United States.
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The Banner Still Waves:
Today, the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 is smaller. For years, people cut pieces from it. In 1907, what was left of the flag was sent to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. At the Smithsonian, people are working to preserve the flag. They want it to last for many years. They want people to see the banner Francis wrote about so long ago.
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"The Star-Spangled Banner"
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
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And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there, O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
—Original words to the poem by Francis Scott Key
