The Star Spangled Banner: Celebrate the Little Victories
Bombs raged through the air for over 25 hours, pummeling American troops below. It was September 13th, 1814. The British had mounted a sea and land offensive against the Americans in what became known as the “Battle of Baltimore.”
The Americans at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry rallied to repel the British, killing their commander. And the morning of September 14th, an attorney aboard a ship in Baltimore Harbor named Francis Scott Key, witnessed the American flag whipping in the wind for all to know an American victory had taken place.
Francis Scott Key
As the legend goes, Key, inspired by the victory, wrote a poem describing the courageous event he had witnessed. He called that poem “The Defence of Fort M’Henry.” Which of course was later re-titled, “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Though the poem is much longer than the single verse that we recognize today as the National Anthem, Key’s creation struck a chord with the American people. It was eventually put to music and played throughout the country at Fourth of July celebrations and military events.
Despite the popularity of “The Star Spangled Banner,” it was not immediately welcomed as the national anthem. In fact, the proposal to make it such was rejected. It wasn’t until five million Americans signed a petition demanding it be recognized as the country’s national anthem did President Hoover sign the bill in 1931.
Our flag was still there
Why did Americans feel so strongly about a poem written to commemorate a small victory that has all but been lost to history?
Because of what the victory represents. The ability to endure. Courage in the face of a formidable foe. Resilience. Freedom.
In the quest for freedom, every victory counts. And Francis Scott Key encapsulated that sentiment in “The Defence of Fort M’Henry.”
Fourth of July 2020
This Fourth of July, let’s remember the little victories. The victories that keep us moving forward in life. The victories that keep us seeking. And searching. And striving. It’s those victories that determine who we are as people and collectively what makes this nation great.
This article was originally published on theroadoftrials.com
