Here's the story behind the song for all to enjoy at this time of year....<br /> The year was 1812 and America was at war with Great Britain. The British were confident that they could defeat this upstart nation. As the war dragged on, victory eluded them. Then one night in 1814, the British initiated a three-pronged attack on American strongholds. One of the points of attack was Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Baltimore was a crucial area for the Americans. If it was taken by the British, then the war was all but lost. In one of the attacking British ships were two Americans, William Beanes and Francis Scott Key. Beanes had been taken prisoner by the British and his friend Key was there to beg the British to set him free. From their tiny window on the ship, the two captives waited through that fateful night with a mixture of hope and dread. If the American flag was still flying over the fort in the morning, then they would know that the Americans had kept Fort McHenry and had a chance to win the war. But if the British flag went up over the fo! rt, then that would mean that America itself would be in dire trouble. The next morning the American flag was flying high over the fort. Inspired by the sight, Key sat down to write a poem commemorating the moment. It was called "The Defence of Fort M'Henry." Today, we know it as "The Star-Spangled Banner." -- "All Four Stanzas," Reader's Digest, Jul.1992, pp. 75-78.
, thats the way I learned it in school many years ago. Don't think they teach that now.