"The Rockets' Red Glare": Francis Scott Key and the Bombardment of Fort McHenry

The man stood on the deck of a sailing ship. He had been against the war. Now he watched, unable to help, as ships from the world's most powerful navy fired shot and shell at a small fort. The fort was protecting the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He realized he cared a lot about what would happen. The attack, called a bombardment, had already lasted more than 24 hours. He strained his eyes to see through the morning mist. Then he saw it—a huge flag, big enough for the enemy to see that the fort had survived. Francis Scott Key felt "joyful triumph." He began writing words on a piece of paper: "O say can you see . . . ."

Key wrote his poem in 1814, during the last year of the War of 1812. The United States had declared war on Great Britain in June 1812. At first, the British were too busy fighting the French to worry much about the Americans. But once the French leader Napoleon gave up power in April 1814, the British decided to teach their former colonies a lesson.

In August, fifty British ships sailed up Chesapeake Bay. On August 24, they took over Washington, D.C., and burned the Capitol, the White House, and other government buildings. Then the British turned north toward Baltimore. Fort McHenry stood between the British navy and the city. The fort would not give up, so the ships finally sailed away, while the fort's defenders cheered. Because of battles like this, many Americans called the War of 1812 the "Second War of Independence."

Not many people remember the War of 1812 today. But the poem it inspired was quickly set to music and became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner." It is now the national anthem of the United States. It continues to inspire Americans and bring them together, especially during hard times.