(Achieve3000, March 6, 2006). O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light. . .
Do you recognize those words, and do you know what they mean? They are the first words of The Star
Spangled Banner, which became the U.S. national anthem 75 years ago. Here's some information about its
history and how people feel about it today.
Inspired By a Flag
Many Americans are not really sure what the national anthem is about. The song was originally a poem,
written by lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain.
Despite its name, the war actually took place between 1812 and 1815. America became involved in the conflict
in the course of taking part in international trade. In the years leading up to the war, the U.S. traded with both
Britain and France, even though those two countries were fighting each other in Europe. Britain's actions made
it increasingly difficult for the U.S. to remain neutral. Why? Britain's navy repeatedly invaded U.S. ships and
impressed American sailors to fight on the British side, disrupting U.S. trade. As time went on, many
Americans grew hostile toward Britain, and in June of 1812, the U.S. declared war. The war also included
disputes over land—the U.S. wanted to expand into Canada, which Britain ruled. Eventually, the war ended in
a stalemate.
On September 3, 1814, while the war still raged, Francis Scott Key boarded a British ship near Baltimore,
Maryland. President James Madison had given the young lawyer permission to negotiate with two British
officers for the release of an American prisoner. The officers eventually agreed to release the prisoner, but they
were concerned that during negotiations, Key might have overheard plans for an overnight attack on Fort
McHenry in Baltimore. They decided to hold Key until after the battle was over. Key waited on board the
British ship, anxious about how the battle would turn out. In the morning, he saw that the American flag
continued to fly above the fort, indicating that the U.S. had won the battle.
Inspired by the victory, Key wrote a poem called Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem was printed in a
Baltimore newspaper and soon became a popular song, set to a tune by British composer John Stafford Smith
called To Anacreon in Heaven.
By the early 20th century, the song was known as The Star Spangled Banner and was played at military
occasions and sporting events. On March 3, 1931, Congress adopted the song as the national anthem.
The Anthem Today
Today, Americans continue to hear The Star Spangled Banner at patriotic occasions and at baseball games.
Many people believe that it is a perfect choice for the anthem of the United States. They point out that the song
has a stirring melody and patriotic lyrics, as a national anthem should. The U.S. is, after all, "the land of the
free and the home of the brave."
However, some people feel that the U.S. should have a different national anthem. Why? For one thing, The
Star Spangled Banner is about a war that few Americans know much about. The song recounts a battle against
Britain, a country that is now a strong U.S. ally. Many people object to the fact that the anthem is about a war
at all. They feel that a national anthem should be about national pride without describing conflict.
Some people believe that The Star Spangled Banner is simply too difficult. The words of the song are hard to
remember. In fact, the song has four stanzas, but most people know only the first one, if they know the words
at all. In addition, many people say that the song is difficult to sing because some of the notes are hard to reach.
They feel that a national anthem should have a tune that anyone can sing, since anthems are meant for people
to share and celebrate.
If the national anthem were changed, which song could replace it? Songwriters have penned many patriotic
tunes about the U.S, including America the Beautiful and America (My Country Tis of Thee). The most popular
alternative for a national anthem, though, is God Bless America, by Irving Berlin. Berlin, a Russian immigrant
who came to the U.S. at age five, wrote the song in 1918, when the U.S. was fighting in World War I. In 1938,
with the world heading toward World War II, singer Kate Smith sang the song on the radio. The song became a
big hit and has been popular ever since. Many people like the song because it expresses national pride in a
simple yet elegant way.
For now, The Star Spangled Banner remains our national anthem. Many people feel that it best expresses how
Americans feel about their country.
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Dig Deeper
To modern-day eyes, the lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner may seem archaic (old-fashioned), but if you
study the words closely, they tell a story. Here are the lyrics. There are also definitions for some of the more
difficult words. Study the words carefully in context to see if you can guess what some of them mean before
you read the definitions provided below.
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 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,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
gallantly (adverb): bravely
perilous (adjective): dangerous
rampart (noun): a defensive wall
stream (verb): to wave, as a flag
twilight (noun): the light in the sky just after sundown but before darkness, or just after darkness but before
sunrise
If the story of The Star Spangled Banner were told today—in our modern language—it might be worded
something like this:
It's early morning. Can you see what we saw last night?
In the last bit of darkness, we saluted it proudly.
We watched from behind the walls its broad stripes and bright stars waving
All through the dangerous battle.
Rockets and bombs exploded overhead, lighting up the sky and providing proof
That the flag was still there.
Is the flag still waving over our free, brave country?
The modernized words may be easier to comprehend, but they are nowhere near as graceful or poetic as the
original song lyrics.
1. The reader can tell from the article that if the U.S. had expanded as it wanted to during the War of 1812,
___________.

The U.S. would have taken over England.

The U.S. would have taken over France.

The U.S. border would have extended farther south.

The U.S. border would have extended farther north.
2. The reader can tell from the article that ___________.

Francis Scott Key wrote his poem to help defeat Fort McHenry.

Francis Scott Key did not try to make his poem describe his feelings about a battle.

Francis Scott Key wrote his poem to help defend Fort McHenry.

Francis Scott Key did not know that his poem would become the national anthem.
3. What do The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America have in common?

Both were most likely inspired by presidents.

Both were most likely inspired by wars.

Both were written by American immigrants.

Both were written by American soldiers.
4. Which of these is not a reason why some people want to change the national anthem?

The current national anthem talks about fighting a country that is now an ally.

The current national anthem is about a war.

The current national anthem is difficult to sing.

The current national anthem was written by a British man.
5. Which of the following took place before Britain began invading U.S. ships?

Francis Scott Key wrote his poem about a battle.

Britain and France went to war.

Britain and the U.S. went to war.

Francis Scott Key went onto a British ship.
6. Which of these is a synonym for the word negotiate?

Grieve

Escape

Bargain

Annoy
7. Which of these is a synonym for the word recount?

Narrate

Offer

Persist

Restrict
8. The reader can tell that in 1812, one U.S. goal was to __________.

Create a national anthem

Trade goods with other countries

Inspire people to write poems

Disrupt trade with other countries