Who Wrote the Star Spangled Banner

The national anthem of the United States of America, that is, proudly sung by every American is the Star Spangled Banner. As a proud American citizen, have you ever wondered who wrote the Star Spangled Banner and when? What was the history behind the penning of the national anthem? Let me answer all your questions regarding who wrote the star-spangled banner and why?

Who Wrote the Star Spangled Banner and When?

The inspiration to pen down this patriotic song lies deep in the American history. During the War of 1812, the Capitol and the White House in Washington was burned down by the British. They were set on taking up the port of Blatimore that was protected by the Fort McHenry to the south. On September 3, 1814, Colonel John Skinner and Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and part-time poet, went aboard the British ship HMS Minden. They went to negotiate the prisoner-exchange mission that was approved by President James Madison. They wanted to negotiate the freedom of Dr. William Beanes, a friend of Key. Fortunately, the British agreed to release Beanes, but unfortunately detained all three as they had heard too much about the forthcoming attacks on Blatimore. They were held captive on board the frigate HMS Surprise and then back on HMS Minden.

Fall of the British and Rise of the American Sun
On the 12th September, 1814, after the initial bombardment the British gunboats attempted to pass the fort, the last line of the city's defense at Fort Covington, stopped their plans to slip past the fort. The rainy night was lashed by heavy bombardment. No one could make out in the stormy night which party held the upper hand. Gradually, in the dead of the night, the shell and Congreve rocket shelling stopped at the British deck. During the bombardment, at about 3 miles away from the shore, the three captive men, Skinner, Key and Beanes could see a 42 feet long, 8 red stripes, 7 white stripes and 15 white stars flying away to glory on the star-shaped fort.

As the night sky cleared and the storm subsided in the morning, Key peeped through to see if the American banner was still fluttering away to glory. And the view he saw made him hopeful, the flag was still flying. This prompted him to quickly scribble the first few lines of a poem he called, 'Defense of Fort McHenry. The lines he scribbled on the back of an envelope were:

O, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming

The flag was covered in mist and this led to doubt his mind that he wished wasn't true, was the flag flying away in the distance a British flag? He went to pen these few lines:

What is that which the breeze o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

As the mist cleared and the rising sun got his spirits up, for it wasn't what he feared, it was none other than the American pride, the national flag. And he went on to write:

'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Completion of the Prized Poem
Soon, the trio were taken back to shore by the British on the 16th of September. Key completed the rest of the four verses of his poem in his room at the Indian Queen Hotel. The next day, he took over his poem 'Defense of Fort Mc'Henry' to the local judge, Joseph H. Nicholson, who happened to be his brother-in-law. Nicloson thought the words fit the popular melody of the song composed by John Stafford Smith, 'The Anacreontic Song'. He even went over to the local printer in Baltimore and anonymously printed broadside copies of the poem. Only two of the original printed copies survive today.

The poem was promptly picked up by Baltimore Patriot and The American who printed the song with a note that mentioned the tune was 'Anacreon in Heaven'. Seventeen other newspapers, from Georgia to New Hampshire picked up the poem and printed it in their daily publications. The Carr Music Store in Baltimore went on to publish the words and music under the title, 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.

The popularity of the song rose to new heights and was publicly performed for the first time by Baltimore actor Ferdinand Durang at Captain McCauley's tavern. By the 19th century, all bands played it at public events like 4th of July celebrations. The Secretary of Navy, Benjamin F. Tarcy went on to sign the General Order # 374. This order officially made the Star Spangled Banner, the official tune to be played at the raising of the flag. With the order passed by President Woodrow Wilson, the Star Spangled Banner was played at all military occasions. Soon, during the 1918 World Series, the song was played at a baseball game. The song is now played at all MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games, whenever there is at least one American team playing.

Believe It or Not
Robert Ripley, drew a panel in his popular cartoon, 'Ripley's Believe it or Not!' that stated, 'America has no national anthem', on 3rd November, 1929. Then in 1931, John Philip Sousa wrote that it was Key's 'soul stirring' words that inspired the people. Thus, on 3rd March 1931, President Herbert Hoover, officially adopted the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem of United States of America.

Lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, 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 watch'd, 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?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

~Francis Scott Key

The war lead to the rise of nation, that today is one of the biggest powers in the world. The two nations have come closer since then and have built strong relations. So, the person who wrote the Star Spangled Banner and when is Francis Scott Key on 16th September 1814. Key lived until 1843 and died of pleurisy. Today, the American flag proudly flutters at his grave at Fort McHenry day and night. The huge flag that inspired Francis Key to pen the inspiring words still survives in an old and tattered condition at the National Museum of American History, at Smithsonian, Washington DC. So, in the end, Francis Key isn't remembered as a lawyer anymore. He is known as the main contributor to the language of freedom in the great nation of America.