Summary
As people gather across the nation today for the Fourth of July - - or Independence Day -- they will also belt out the national anthem at various celebrations. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written by Francis Scott Key 194 years ago.
On Sept. 13, 1814, a British fleet bombarded Fort McHenry in the harbor at Baltimore, Md. Key, a 35-year-old attorney and poet, witnessed the attack from the deck of a British prisoner-exchange ship. He was seeking release of an American friend and was refused permission to go ashore until after the attack. Key turned his telescope to the fort and saw that the American flag was still waving at dawn. The sight inspired him to write a poem, which eventually was adopted as the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner."See the full content of this document
Extract
Oh Say, Can You See?
After circulating as a handbill, the lyrics were published in a Balt...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
