Congress passed the resolution making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931.
The lyrics began as “Defence of Fort M'Henry,” a poem written by Francis Scott Key after he watched the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore on September 14, 1814. The poem was soon fitted to the melody of “The Anacreontic Song,” written by English composer John Stafford Smith.
The song became popular during the nineteenth century, but it was not immediately the official national anthem. The U.S. Navy recognized it for official use in 1889, and President Woodrow Wilson ordered it played at appropriate occasions in 1916.
Congress passed the anthem resolution on March 3, 1931, and President Herbert Hoover signed it the following day. The original poem contains four stanzas, although public performances usually sing only the first.