The national anthem, the "Star Spangled Banner", has gotten a lot of attention of late. Regardless of our personal feelings about it, I would venture that as close to 100% as can be have heard it and most have stood and sung along; some with hand over heart, some in salute, and some texting on their cell phones. My thoughts lately have been with how many have thought about the lyrics. How they came about and what they actually say.
In 1812 the United States declared war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland (the UK). This was the first declaration of war for a young nation. The prevailing sentiment was that the UK had to be forced to support and respect the sovereignty of the young USA. (NOTE: The following is an accurate but gross over-simplification of the times - it is NOT meant to be a defining history of the beginnings of the War of 1812, just a primer for those interested and maybe uninformed AND, if you do not care to read the history - scroll down to the red line below for the actual Anthem review) Two of the most pressing issues were the arming of Native American tribes in the Northwest Territories (an area now comprised of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin), which although not a formal part of the USA, was being settled by large numbers of USA citizens. The Native Americans had found an ally in the UK due to the British's interest in stopping USA expansion into rich fur trading areas near and into Canada. They felt a Native American "country" that was friendly to the UK was much more desirable than more growth by the USA, and also would be a buffer against Canadian expansion by USA citizens. The other was the fact that UK ships were raiding USA ships and impressment of USA sailors into the UK navy. The UK felt that no person born in the UK had the right to renounce their citizenship and therefore "owed" service to the Crown/Navy as needed. There were obviously many UK born persons in the USA at that point as the country was less than two generations old.
So, the USA was at war with the UK and united Native American tribes allied with the UK. The UK had the largest navy at the time and was a definite world power. However, THE world power during the time leading up to all this was Napoleon and the French. The UK and the Napoleonic Empire (hereafter just referred to as the French) had been at war for many years and the UK military power was spread thin. The were blockading some major USA ports to prevent trade with the French, a large USA ally. That is enough history, but I wanted to set the stage for Francis Scott Key in Baltimore harbor in September of 1814.
The war had been going on for two years. There were victories on both sides, but the UK troops had attacked Washington, DC less than a month earlier and burned the White House and other Federal Government buildings. The British Navy was in Baltimore harbor with intent of taking Baltimore and controlling a large portion of the imports into the USA. Francis Scott Key was a lawyer that was on a government mission to secure the release of a prisoner that was a friend of President Madison. He had, under a white flag of truce, gone out to the UK Navy flagship and negotiated the release of the prisoner. However, due to the impending attack on Baltimore harbor and Fort McHenry both Key and the prisoner were required to stay with the UK naval forces until after the battle. Key knew that if the UK won the battle the Union Jack would be flying over the fort.
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The Star Spangled Banner starts out with Key asking:
"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming."
So, he is asking: " Is the USA flag flying or the UK Union Jack?" (did we hold the fort?)
Then:
"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 thru the night that our flag was still there."
He continues with a description of how the flag flew, visible to all, with (at that time) a very unique look for a flag, showing the USA was holding the fort and the harbor in defiance of the largest and most powerful navy in the world. He describes how during the battle the artillery fire and bombardment was lighting the sky to allow glimpses of the flag. In other reports I have read, he said he honestly did not know if the flag "was still there" that morning as the smoke had gotten so thick that they could not see the fort from their boat after a while and then he fell asleep from exhaustion as the battle died down during the night.
Then he asks the question again:
"Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
By now, he had seen the flag and later said it was the sight of it that moved him to write these lyrics. (and yes, he admitted he wrote this as a song, not a poem) The second verse, that we do NOT sing, shows his relief and excitement that it was still there by saying:
"On the shore, dimly seen thru 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! Oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Not as flowing and melodic as the first verse, but hey; he was under guard by an enemy on a ship in a harbor where a battle had just raged all night! There is a third verse (and actually a fourth written by another author later), but I will not go there as I think these two tell the story.
On this Memorial Day weekend, remember those that fought and died for our country. And remember the story of the Star Spangled Banner.
Now a message from your sponsor (me): Please consider buying my book: "Living with a Snowman" available on Kindle or Amazon. I am using it to raise money for research into the disease that ultimately killed my wife - Multiple System Atrophy". I would greatly appreciate it!
In 1812 the United States declared war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland (the UK). This was the first declaration of war for a young nation. The prevailing sentiment was that the UK had to be forced to support and respect the sovereignty of the young USA. (NOTE: The following is an accurate but gross over-simplification of the times - it is NOT meant to be a defining history of the beginnings of the War of 1812, just a primer for those interested and maybe uninformed AND, if you do not care to read the history - scroll down to the red line below for the actual Anthem review) Two of the most pressing issues were the arming of Native American tribes in the Northwest Territories (an area now comprised of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin), which although not a formal part of the USA, was being settled by large numbers of USA citizens. The Native Americans had found an ally in the UK due to the British's interest in stopping USA expansion into rich fur trading areas near and into Canada. They felt a Native American "country" that was friendly to the UK was much more desirable than more growth by the USA, and also would be a buffer against Canadian expansion by USA citizens. The other was the fact that UK ships were raiding USA ships and impressment of USA sailors into the UK navy. The UK felt that no person born in the UK had the right to renounce their citizenship and therefore "owed" service to the Crown/Navy as needed. There were obviously many UK born persons in the USA at that point as the country was less than two generations old.
So, the USA was at war with the UK and united Native American tribes allied with the UK. The UK had the largest navy at the time and was a definite world power. However, THE world power during the time leading up to all this was Napoleon and the French. The UK and the Napoleonic Empire (hereafter just referred to as the French) had been at war for many years and the UK military power was spread thin. The were blockading some major USA ports to prevent trade with the French, a large USA ally. That is enough history, but I wanted to set the stage for Francis Scott Key in Baltimore harbor in September of 1814.
The war had been going on for two years. There were victories on both sides, but the UK troops had attacked Washington, DC less than a month earlier and burned the White House and other Federal Government buildings. The British Navy was in Baltimore harbor with intent of taking Baltimore and controlling a large portion of the imports into the USA. Francis Scott Key was a lawyer that was on a government mission to secure the release of a prisoner that was a friend of President Madison. He had, under a white flag of truce, gone out to the UK Navy flagship and negotiated the release of the prisoner. However, due to the impending attack on Baltimore harbor and Fort McHenry both Key and the prisoner were required to stay with the UK naval forces until after the battle. Key knew that if the UK won the battle the Union Jack would be flying over the fort.
____________________________________________________________________________
The Star Spangled Banner starts out with Key asking:
"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming."
So, he is asking: " Is the USA flag flying or the UK Union Jack?" (did we hold the fort?)
Then:
"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 thru the night that our flag was still there."
He continues with a description of how the flag flew, visible to all, with (at that time) a very unique look for a flag, showing the USA was holding the fort and the harbor in defiance of the largest and most powerful navy in the world. He describes how during the battle the artillery fire and bombardment was lighting the sky to allow glimpses of the flag. In other reports I have read, he said he honestly did not know if the flag "was still there" that morning as the smoke had gotten so thick that they could not see the fort from their boat after a while and then he fell asleep from exhaustion as the battle died down during the night.
Then he asks the question again:
"Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
By now, he had seen the flag and later said it was the sight of it that moved him to write these lyrics. (and yes, he admitted he wrote this as a song, not a poem) The second verse, that we do NOT sing, shows his relief and excitement that it was still there by saying:
"On the shore, dimly seen thru 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! Oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Not as flowing and melodic as the first verse, but hey; he was under guard by an enemy on a ship in a harbor where a battle had just raged all night! There is a third verse (and actually a fourth written by another author later), but I will not go there as I think these two tell the story.
On this Memorial Day weekend, remember those that fought and died for our country. And remember the story of the Star Spangled Banner.
Now a message from your sponsor (me): Please consider buying my book: "Living with a Snowman" available on Kindle or Amazon. I am using it to raise money for research into the disease that ultimately killed my wife - Multiple System Atrophy". I would greatly appreciate it!
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