Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" became our National Anthem on March 3, 1931. Here's a closer look at Francis Scott Key's masterpiece.

was the original Star-Spangled Banner that inspired the lines of Francis Scott Key’s renowned poem, later to become America’s national anthem. On Sept. 13, 1814, two years since the onset of ...

The Star Spangled Banner is part of a poem about a battle ... of shells and rockets on Fort McHenry for 25 hours in September 1814. Francis Scott Key was in Baltimore Harbor aboard a ship, guarded ...

13, 1814. After 25 hours marked by “rockets ... executive director at Baltimore’s Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, where the original flag was sewn. On the other hand, if it weren’t ...

The Star Spangled Banner officially becomes the national anthem ... The Associated Press The lyrics were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. The song became recognized for official use by ...

By now you’ve probably heard the claim that America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is an expression of racial hostility toward African Americans and should be either ...