Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812.

By now you’ve probably heard the claim that America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is an expression ... in which a statue of Francis Scott Key, the Maryland lawyer who ...

Rechristened “The Star-Spangled Banner” soon thereafter, Key’s words were, within weeks, appearing in newspapers across the nation. In England, news of the setback in Baltimore was met with ...

Fortunately for posterity, he did not call it Mrs. Pickersgill's flag, but referred to a "star-spangled banner." Key wrote quickly that night—in part because he already had a tune in his head ...

This flag, which measured 30 feet by 42 feet, was the original Star-Spangled Banner that inspired the lines of Francis Scott Key’s renowned poem, later to become America’s national anthem.

What does it matter that some critics say the words of Francis Scott Key’s war poem were set to music of a barroom tune?“The Star-Spangled Banner” today is the national anthem of the United ...

Francis Scott Key was a slave owner ... Secondly, look at the song itself. The Star Spangled Banner is part of a poem about a battle that was significant in the American History, the War of ...