What is the name of the U.S. national anthem, based on a poem about Fort McHenry?

The U.S. national anthem based on a poem about Fort McHenry is The Star-Spangled Banner.

Francis Scott Key wrote the poem in 1814 after witnessing the defense of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. He saw the large American flag still flying over the fort after a night of British bombardment and drafted verses that became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The poem was set to the music of a popular English song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.” Its melody is notably difficult to sing because of its wide vocal range. The song became increasingly associated with national ceremonies during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Congress officially designated The Star-Spangled Banner as the national anthem in 1931. The anthem is often confused with “America the Beautiful,” which is also a patriotic American song but does not hold the official national-anthem status.