Who wrote the poem that became the United States national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”?

Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became the United States national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Key wrote the poem in 1814 after witnessing the American defense of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The sight of the large American flag still flying over the fort after the bombardment inspired the title “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” the poem’s original name.

The words were later set to the melody of “Anacreon in Heaven,” an English song associated with the Anacreontic Society. That tune was already widely known before it was paired with Key’s poem. The song became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century and was designated the official national anthem by Congress in 1931.

The anthem’s history is distinct from that of the flag itself. The flag at Fort McHenry had 15 stars and 15 stripes, reflecting the Union in 1814. The modern flag has 50 stars and 13 stripes, but both designs connect the anthem to the nation’s military and founding-era symbolism celebrated during America250.