The Story Behind “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Most of us know that our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was written by Francis Scott Key. But do you know the story behind the anthem?

On the morning of September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key (a prominent lawyer) and Stuart Skinner (the U.S. agent for prisoners of war) were allowed to board a British ship. Their job was to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes. Dr. Beanes was suspected of being a spy. Although the negotiations to release Dr. Beanes into their custody were successful, the British - fearing that the three men had seen enough to report on British ship positions - allowed the men to return to their ship only because it stayed tethered to the British vessel and under guard. The British had already bombed the President’s house, the Treasury and the Capitol, and they were preparing to bomb Fort McHenry!

The British lobbed their bombs towards the fort for a solid 25 hours. When the smoke cleared on the dawn of a new day, Francis Scott Key glimpsed an American flag flying proudly, signifying that Baltimore had not fallen to the British. Key immediately began to write a poem he titled, “The Defense of Fort McHenry.” The poem was published with instructions to sing it to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular song of the day. This song would later be renamed, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

In 1889, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was recognized by the US Navy as the official tune when raising and lowering the flag. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson officially named it as the official anthem of our armed forces. At this point, John Phillips Souza and Walter Damrosch prepared an official arrangement that went into use by the army and navy. It wasn’t until March 3, 1931 that “The Star-Spangled Banner” was decreed the official national anthem, under the presidency of Herbert Hoover.

What a rich and resilient history!