Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a national symbol featured in America250 history.
Key wrote the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry” in 1814 after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. He saw the American flag still flying over the fort after the battle and began writing verses inspired by the sight.
The words were soon set to the melody of “Anacreon in Heaven,” an earlier English song associated with the Anacreontic Society. The resulting song became increasingly popular during the nineteenth century and was adopted as the U.S. national anthem in 1931.
Key wrote four stanzas, but public performances usually use only the first. The anthem’s lyrics therefore come from the War of 1812 era, not the American Revolution of 1776, even though both periods are central to the broader history remembered during America250.