preview

Francis Scott Key's The Star Spangled Banner

Decent Essays

The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key on the day September 16, 1814 and the poem was set to the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven." The original name of the poem was “The defense of Fort McHenry” and the poem was first published in several Baltimore news papers when it was written. Francis Scott Key was born on August 1, 1779 in Fredrick County, Maryland, to a wealthy and highborn family on the plantation of Terra Ruba. Francis would be homeschooled until the age of 10, then he would go on and attend Annapolis grammar school. After school Francis went to study at St. Johns College only to return back to his home county to practice becoming a lawyer. John would go on and marry Mary Taylor Lloyd in the early 1800’s where the couple would settle down and have 11 children. In 1805 Francis would set up his legal practices in Georgetown, which is a part of Washington D.C. …show more content…

This early battle would be known as the War of 1812. Francis didn't like the war and opposed to the it due to his religious beliefs and he believed that the disagreement could be settled without fighting, but Francis did serve in the Georgetown Light Field Artillery. Britain would eventually capture Washington, D.C., in 1814. They would take prisoners and one prisoner being Dr. William Beanes. Because of Francis’s work as an attorney, Francis was asked to help with the negotiation of Beanes' release and in the process they traveled to Baltimore, where Britain's navy forces were located along Chesapeake Bay. Francis, along with Colonel John Skinner, were able to rescue Beanes, though they were not allowed to return to America until the British finished the bombing of Fort

Get Access