Who wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing Fort McHenry during the War of 1812?

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

Key wrote the poem on September 14, 1814, after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry near Baltimore. He had been aboard a ship involved in securing the release of an American prisoner and was unable to leave until the attack ended.

The sight of the large American flag still flying over the fort inspired Key to write “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” The poem was later set to the music of a British song composed by John Stafford Smith. The lyrics and melody became increasingly popular during the nineteenth century.

Congress officially adopted “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem on March 3, 1931. Key wrote the words, but he did not compose the music. The flag that inspired him had 15 stars and 15 stripes and is now preserved at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.