May 28, 2016 (Saturday)
Our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812. The British had burned government buildings, including the Capitol and the White House, just miles from Baltimore and Fort McHenry. Key witnessed the shelling of the fort for 25 hours through the night, and saw our flag unfurled in all its glory “by the dawn’s early light.” He immediately wrote the poem which officially became our national anthem in 1931. On this Memorial Day weekend, it is appropriate to review its soul-stirring words.
