The Star-Spangled Banner

O say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave

The lyrics come from the “Defense of Fort Henry”, a poem written on September 14, 1814, by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key. 

What is the true story of The Star-Spangled Banner?

On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those broad stripes and bright stars inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem.

Key witnessed part of the Battle of Baltimore from aboard a British warship, where he was being held as a strategic prisoner.

A country was being born. It should not be torn apart by people who forgot where they came from.

Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God (Philippians 1:28-29)