Who wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” linked to America250 celebrations?

Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” linked to America250 celebrations.

Key composed the poem in 1814 after observing the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. He had been aboard a British ship while negotiating the release of American prisoners and saw the large American flag still flying over the fort at dawn. The sight inspired the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry.”

The words were set to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven,” an English song associated with the Anacreontic Society. That melody was already familiar to American audiences, which helped the poem circulate quickly. The song originally had four stanzas, although public performances usually use only the first.

Congress made it the national anthem in 1931. Key wrote the lyrics, but he did not compose the melody. That distinction is a common source of confusion, especially because the anthem’s words and tune became inseparable in public memory.