A recent poll found that two out of three American adults don't know all of the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner"--and many don't even know which song is our National Anthem or why it is written. Where did the people who do know the words say they learned "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other Patriotic music? At school!
Let me tell you a little bit in a short story about the history of our flag and the Star-Spangled Banner which was written by Francis Scott Key, after he witnessed a British attack during the war.
An eerie silence fell across the early morning darkness on the morning of Sept. 14, 1814, and it was the first time in more than 18 hours that things had been quiet. The previous day more than 1,800 bombs, cannonballs, and the new Congreve rockets had lit the sky. and shattered the peaceful harbor. From the deck of his sloop behind the enemy fleet a young man breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you see it still there?" he may have asked his friends.
His friends knew to what Francis Key was referring. The men had strained their eyes through the darkness of night for the last several hours to get a glimpse of the American flag that flew from Fort McHenry. The flag was 30 feet high and 40 feet wide. But as darkness had fallen, the only time the flag could be seen was during those seconds when it was momentarily lit by bombs the enemy hurled at the small fort. As long as the men and their companion Colonel John Skinner could see the flag flying, they knew there was still hope that their Nation had survived.
The invasion by the British soldiers continued, and it did not look promising for the 16 United States of America. The British ground troops afforded the opportunity to position themselves for one final, crushing assault. Now and then a brief flicker of light from an exploding rocket would reveal what Mr. Key thought might be that hugh flag still flying proudly over Fort McHenry. Maybe he even caught himself anticipating, even hoping for another billiant flash of light from the enemy rockets. He stopped himself, realizing that the same explosions that lit the skies to reveal the flag and allay his fears, rained death on the men who fought to keep that flag flying.
So intense was the final bombardment that the early morning dawn was filled with smoke, and the odor of burned gunpowder. So thick was the curtain of smoke, even the morning sunshine could not reveal whether or not the flag still waved. The quiet returned. The men watched as the British ships began to withdraw. Had the fort, badly weakened by the enemy bombardment finally fallen to the British ground troops?
The sloop(ship) alone in the bay, the men look fearfully towards the shoreline. A breeze began to move across the water's surface and the smoke of the battle began to shift ever so slightly to reveal patches of blue sky. In the distant blue there appeared new colors--red, white, and blue. What a welcome site, hearts swelled with hope, and pride in the men who so valiantly fought through the night to keep that flag flying.
Reaching into his pocket Francis Scott Key withdrew an envelope, and began to write:
"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, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?"
"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' 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?"
Mr. Key never knew that his poem would later be our National Anthem. It was not officially recognized as such until 1931.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I love the story of the Star-Spangled Banner, it is so inspiring! It is sad that they are taking music classes out of the schools, we learned all the classic American songs and the stories behind them when I was little. Music was a favorite of all the kids.
Thank you for sharing the awesome story of the Star-Spangled Banner! I love America! We need to keep fighting for the foundations we were built on. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Thank you for the comments.
Post a Comment