Who wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing the 1814 defense of Fort McHenry?

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing the 1814 defense of Fort McHenry.

Key was a Washington, D.C., lawyer who boarded a British vessel during the War of 1812 to negotiate the release of American prisoners. He witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry from the ship and saw the large American flag still flying over the fort at dawn on September 14, 1814.

Inspired by that sight, Key drafted a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” The words were later set to the melody of a popular English song, “To Anacreon in Heaven,” rather than composed as entirely new music. The song gradually became associated with American national identity.

Congress designated “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem in 1931. John Philip Sousa was a famous American bandleader and composer, but he did not write these lyrics. The original flag that inspired Key is preserved at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.