HISTORY OF STAR SPANGLED BANNER

BY PAUL JOHNSON

  9/11 MAY HAVE BEEN OUR WORST DAY, BUT IT WASN’T OUR DARKEST HOUR.  HERE’S JUST ONE OF THOSE DARK HOURS.  THE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT A BALL GAME THINK ABOUT THIS.

  IN A THUNDERSTORM 6:30 A.M. SEPTEMBER 13TH, 1814 AFTER THE BRITISH HAD BURNED OUR CAPITAL AND OUR WHITEHOUSE FRANCIS SCOTT KEY, A LAWYER, HELD CAPTIVE SEVERAL MILES OFF SHORE WATCHED THE SKY ON FIRE FOR TWENTY-FIVE HOURS.  SCHRAPNEL FROM ROCKETS AND THIRTEEN INCH BOMBSHELLS TORE THE FLESH OF A THOUSAND MILITIAMEN GIVING THEIR LIVES TO KEEP THEIR FLAG OVER FT. MC HENRY THAT PROTECTED BALTIMORE’S FOURTY-FIVE THOUSAND.

  BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT HE SAW A THIRTY BY FORTY-TWO FOOT STAR SPANGLED BANNER ON A NINETY FOOT POLE WITH TWO FOOT GOLD STARS AND FIFTEEN RED AND WHITE BROAD STRIPES STILL WAIVING O’ER THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE PULLED A LETTER FROM HIS BACK POCKET AND ON THE BACK HE WROTE FOUR VERSES OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER.  MARCH 3, 1931 THAT BECAME OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM.  THE MUSIC THAT HE USED WAS FROM AN OLD BAR SONG, BUT IT HAD A NEW MESSAGE.  THAT BATTLE TURNED THE TIDE AGAINST THE GREATEST ARMY AND NAVY IN THE WORLD FOR THE SECOND TIME.

  JANUARY 8, 1815 ANDREW JACKSON LED A BAND OF  VOLUNTEERS AND DEFEATED THE BRITISH AT THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 

  THAT FLAG’S AT THE SMITHSONIAN.  JUST “GOOGLE STAR SPANGLED BANNER” TO SEE THIS HISTORY OF OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM. 

4th Verse of the Star Spangled Banner.mp3

Star Spangled Banner Vocal.mp3
 

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SMITHSONIAN	WASHINGTON BURNING 8/12/1814