...This familiar anthem The Star Spangled Banner is America’s long-standing unchanging tradition that plays at each sporting event nationwide, school events, assemblies, Independence Day events, etc. When the U.S entered World War 1 a man named Francis Scott Key gave this poem he wrote to his brother, who noted that key’s poem fit the melody of The Anacreontic Song. It started out playing in the World Series game in 1918, where from that point in time it has played all sporting events since then. The Star Spangled banner exemplifies how traditions, including anthems, origin narratives, as well as symbols meet the need of a national group, also known as an invented tradition. Even if it’s for just a moment of time, regardless of class, race, gender,...
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...On September 13, 1814, the Star-Spangled banner was written by Francis Scott Key. He was inspired by the flag over Fort McHenry after a barrage of shots and shells plummeted onto the American fort. As the British pounded throughout the day and night, the smoke had cleared the next day revealing the American flag still flying high over the fort. Key jotted down the few lines saluting the event: “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”The “home of the brave” lyrics represent the heroism of Americans to defend their country. Respect is to feel admiration for what someone has done, and to treat them in a polite and kind way. The soldiers and people who have died for the...
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...Francis Scott Key was the author of The Star-Spangled Banner. In 1814, Key wrote a poem about what he observed during the Fort McHenry battle. The first time the poem was published was in Baltimore newspapers and spread along the East coast in seventeen other newspapers. Also, in 1916 Woodrow Wilson declared it to be the national anthem of the armed forces. Although it wasn’t until March of 1931 for the poem, originally called “The Defence of Fort McHenry”, to be announced as America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The song is a symbol of national pride and we continue to sing this to show our nation’s endurance through the war. The song was first performed in 1889 by the United States Navy during a ceremony that lowered and raised the flag. The first public performance was on October 19, 1814. A Baltimore theater, known as the “Old Drury,” performed the song after a play. The United States Marine Band played the anthem publicly in 1890. The U.S. Army and U.S. Military Academy at West Point both...
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...To understand the full “Star-Spangled Banner” story, you have to understand the author. Key was an aristocrat and city prosecutor in Washington, D.C. He was not against slavery; he just thought that since slaves were mentally inferior, masters should treat them with more Christian kindness. He supported sending freed slaves (not actual slaves) back to Africa and, with a few exceptions, was about as pro-slavery, anti-black and anti-abolitionist as you could get at the time. Of particular note was Key’s opposition to the idea of the Colonial Marines. The Marines were a battalion of runaway slaves who joined with the British Royal Army in exchange for their freedom. The Marines were not only a terrifying example of what slaves would do if given the chance, but also a repudiation of the white superiority that men like Key were so invested in. All of these ideas and concepts came together around Aug. 24, 1815, at the Battle of Bladensburg, where Key, who was serving as a lieutenant at the time, ran into a battalion of Colonial Marines. His troops were taken to the woodshed by the very black folks he disdained, and he fled back to his home in Georgetown to lick his wounds. The British troops, emboldened by their victory in Bladensburg, then marched into Washington, D.C., burning the Library of Congress, the Capitol Building and the White House. You can...
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...The war against England was declared in 1812. The U.S had a series of victories, including the battles of Lake Champlain and Lake Erie as well as victories against the Indians. Lake Erie was a bigger victory than Lake Champion because in this battle the Americans refused to give up, their passion pulled them through leaving a substantial amount of bloodshed for the British. One of the battles during this war, lead Francis Scott Key to create, what people sing all around the United States today, the Star-Spangled Banner. The Star-Spangled Banner started off as a poem and evolved to be our nation's national anthem. This song is sung before sporting events, in schools, and in bad times. I remember learning this song in elementary school and I know children still learn it in their education today. The battle in which he wrote the poem happened in Baltimore, Maryland. Before the British arrived at Fort McHenry, they previously burned down the home of President Madison, just barely letting him escape. The British should have saved their soldiers and time because they wound up losing the battle anyway. As of 1814, the United States won more battles during the...
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...Star spangled banner Francis Scott Key used rhyme for the star spangled banner. He describes every detail that was happening. He used bombs bursting in the air to try to put a image in our mind what was happening in that exact moment. He also wrote how it felt, example in the song he wrote ¨ on the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes, what is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep¨. It also used a metaphor an example is it says ¨from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave¨. Francis Scott Key used figurative by using his feeling being there, how it felt and what he saw to make those lyrics. For example he wrote ¨ blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land praise the pow'r that hath made and preserv’d us a nation¨, he wrote that to make us see an image when he saw united states won the war with its power. Another example is what he saw, in the song it says ¨ their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps pollution¨. Also there was a hyperbole in the story behind the star spangled banner, ¨ it says british warships sent a downpour of...
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...Stock Exchange to the halls of congress. People were singing, God Bless America and America the Beautiful, and the American flag flew throughout the land. As the days passed, speculation of America national anthem came into question, renewing a debate as to whether the Star Spangled Banner should continue to be the national anthem. Having a debate over the United States’ national anthem while preparing for war might have seemed trivial; however, this was not the first time in which the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem came into question. In the 1960’s during the Vietnam War, questions arose as to whether or not that United States should change the national anthem. It would seem that the question of the national anthem comes to mind during times of war, when American patriotism is at a high point. This leads to the question of which song should replace the current anthem. Many quality songs can easily replace the Star Spangled Banner. However, this article will only focus on the first verses of three songs: The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful. First, it is important to understand how these songs came to be. Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner in 1814 while standing aboard a British ship watching while the...
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...Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" was much more than just his interpretation of the song; it represented his interpretation of an era and the radical changes taking place in America. His version of "The Star Spangled Banner" was masterful and perfectly summed up the time and his feelings about it through the use of the electric guitar. Many considered his version to be unorthodox and radical, and his version of the song was radical for many reasons; it was a blending of war, conflict, patriotism, and feelings of fear and optimism translated beautifully into a perfect musical interpretation of the times and changes during that era. Although many Americans approved of Hendrix’s version of the song, many did not. Many Americans felt it was appalling and that he had disgracefully butchered the song. Other things that defined this song as a radical one, whether they liked or disliked it, included the fact that this was a new way of thinking about and perceiving something old and contemporary (the song being played on an electric guitar accompanied with overwhelming distortion). Another thing which was equally as radical as the never-before-heard style of play was the fact that this distorted song was being played by a black man. These factors combined to make one of the most memorable and symbolic moments in rock history from, arguably, the greatest guitar player of all time. One thing that Jimi did that really shock most of the audience was that before...
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...flag. Betsy Ross knew George Washington and had done some repair seamstress work for him. Betsy Ross ran an upholstery shop that she took over when her husband had passed away. She often mended some of Washington’s clothing which how they became friends. Many people have different stories and legends of how the flag came about and why and if Ross was in fact the first person to sew the flag. There has never been any documentation that proved that Ross did create the flag however legend says that one day George Washington and two of his key figures sketched out the United States flag and asked Betsy Ross to sew it together and she did. No one knows for sure whether Betsy Ross designed the flag or if she did in fact change the original six stars to five. Many historians say that a man named Francis Hopkinson who was a lawyer was the real designer of the first flag. Hopkinson wrote a letter in 1780 to the board of admiralty which stated that he in fact did design the first flag and most say that he did; however there has never been any real proof so the story of Betsy Ross stands. What history does show is that The American flag has become a...
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...Have you ever wanted to do something small in order to make a big difference? Like a social issue? Well In the New York Times Upfront Article,Star-Spangled Protest, By Carl Stoffers. It describes how one man, NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the star Spangled banner, and also how it is having a larger impact on the nation and its people. It talks about how a simple protest for one idea can have a large impact on the world around us. It continues on through the use of many ideas and cause and effect strategies to inform the reader on the protest of Colin Kaepernick kneeling on the ground during the National Anthem of the United States of America. It throws around the ideas that Americans are bound to ideas and concepts that hold the main ideas...
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...where to be extinguished, thank god all of their cannons did not cause any significant damage to our barricades. We were unable to fire back, but we did manage to shoot down an attempt to land more British soldiers. On this day, we have to be thankful that the British did turn their ships away from the harbor and retreat. Now it is time for rest and the restoration of these areas. This has not been an easy few days, but I will write to you again soon. Yours Truly. I think the most significant part of this battle in American history would be the defense and defeat of the British, but also the drafting of the Star Spangled Banner. I did not know how to write this in a letter but Frances Scott Key was on board a truce ship, and saw the American Flag flying high through the dark of night, and through the lights of the cannons. This inspired him to write the Star Spangled Banner, originally called “Defense of Fort McHenry”, and was sung to the tune of an old British drinking song. References...
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...Chapter Six, Foundations of United States Citizenship 5/5 D. List or Describe: 1. Describe the evolution of the modern American flag. The American Flag was officially adopted by The Second Continental Congress on the 14th of June, 1777. The flag was made up of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the union bearing 13 white 5-point stars. Francis Hopkins is responsible for the 13 white stars. During the Revolutionary war, Patriots started making a bunch of these American flags. In 1794, Congress passed an act requiring The American Flag to have 15 stars and 15 stripes. This was the official flag from 1795-1818. This new official flag was the inspiration for the “Star Spangled Banner” written by Francis Scott Key. On April fourth, 1818 President Monroe accepted a bill that reflected the ideas of Capt. Samuel C. Reid. Reid suggested that the flag should have 13 stripes but, for every new state American gained we added another star. The American flag with 50 stars was first raised on July fourth, 1960. The flag is traditionally a symbol for liberty and freedom. The 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the Union while the colors red, white, and blue represent purity and innocence, hardiness and valor, and vigilance, perseverance, and justice. This is what makes up The American Flag we know today. Lesson One, The American...
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...The Battle for Baltimore Student’s name Course title Instructor’s name Institution Date of submission Abstract War has been part of conflict resolution whenever other means of conflict resolution fail to produce desired fruits. When considered as the only means of resolving conflict between or among conflicting parties, war only ends after realization of winners and losers. At the end of every war, there is always a solution for any conflicting parties. In that line, this paper will discuss the historical Battle for Baltimore. In so doing, the paper will investigate the cause of the war, its effects to the parties, and winner and loser. Battle for Baltimore People and countries engage in wars due to particular sets of differences and misunderstandings. Some of the misunderstandings that lead to war are avoidable through other forms of negotiation without necessarily having to go to actual war. Countries and people tend to lose a lot of property and resources whenever they engage in any form of physical wars. It is for the reason that some countries and people struggle to avoid and stay away from any practices and events that may predispose them to wars. Battle for Baltimore fought in 1814 in America is one such war that saw momentous compulsion of Americans to take part even after struggling to avoid and ignore anything that would lead them into war. The Battle for Baltimore fought between USA and British in 1814 was...
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...America. The land of the free home of the brave. These are the words that are cited when we sing the Star Spangled Banner. This is our song dedicated to our country. The Pledge of Allegiance was cited every morning before school started when I attended. It was our way of giving thanks to those that have fought and died for our freedom. Unfortunately, somewhere down the line, citing the Pledge of Allegiance became a political and religious issue. In this paper, I will summarize the points of the Supreme Court case Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow. I will also discuss the levels of the court through which the case evolved before it reached the Supreme Court. Next, I will briefly explain the decision of the Supreme Court and explain the fundamental impact that the court decision in question has had on American society in general and on ethics in American society in particular. Then, I will discuss whether I believe that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance is a religious issue or a sign of respect for the United States. Finally, I will discuss whether or not I think public schools should be allowed to recite the pledge. In schools, children need to understand the importance of freedom and what it means to be patriotic in America. In doing so, every morning teachers lead their students in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The words “under God” somewhere down the line became a debate that had to be looked at. In the case of Elk Grove...
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...One of the most controversial and debated topics in the United States is revolving around the NFL and our National Anthem,” The Star Spangled Banner”. The issue is if NFL players should be required to stand during the National Anthem or be allowed to protest and take a knee. It is literally dividing households, and even bigger dividing the entire country. Personally I think every American no matter race or ethnicity should stand during the National Anthem and respect our nation because the anthem should bring all americans together and not divide us. When people go to watch sports, in person or on T.V., the last thing they want to see or hear is politics. People watch sports for entertainment and to get away from real problems, such as politics. When over half of the players in the NFL decided to take a knee this past Sunday, it was a disaster and dropped the NFL’s ratings. Donald Trump’s statement on the topic resulted in double the number of players protesting than ever before, by taking a knee during the National Anthem, which is morally wrong and just plain wrong. The National Anthem unites all Americans no matter what you do, where you are from, what language you speak,...
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