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

A man stood on the deck of a sailing ship. He had been against the war. But now he watched, unable to do anything, as ships from the world's most powerful navy fired cannons and shells at a small fort. That fort was protecting the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The man realized he cared very much about what would happen next.

The attack, called a bombardment, had gone on for more than 24 hours. The man squinted through the morning fog, trying to see what remained. What he saw was a huge flag—big enough for the enemy to see that the fort had survived. Francis Scott Key felt overwhelming joy and relief. He grabbed a piece of paper and began writing: "O say can you see . . . ."

Key wrote this poem in 1814, during the final year of the War of 1812. The United States had declared war on Great Britain back 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 his throne in April 1814, Britain decided to focus on teaching its former colonies a lesson.

In August, fifty British ships sailed up Chesapeake Bay. On August 24, British forces took over Washington, D.C., and burned the Capitol building, the White House, and other government buildings. Then they turned their attention north, toward Baltimore. Fort McHenry stood in the way, guarding the city from the British navy. When the fort refused to surrender, the British ships eventually sailed away—while the fort's defenders cheered. For many Americans, the War of 1812 became known as the "Second War of Independence."

Not many people remember much about the War of 1812 today. But the poem it inspired became famous almost immediately after someone set it to music, calling it "The Star-Spangled Banner." That song eventually became the national anthem of the United States. Even now, it remains a powerful symbol that brings Americans together, especially during difficult times.

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Document Contents

National Curriculum Standards

About This Lesson

Getting Started: Inquiry Question

Setting the Stage: Historical Context

Locating the Site: Map

1. Map 1: Baltimore and Fort McHenry in 1814

Determining the Facts: Readings

1. Reading 1: Armistead's Account of the Battle
2. Reading 2: Francis Scott Key and the Writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
3. Reading 3: "Defence of Fort McHenry"
4. Reading 4: After the Battle

Visual Evidence: Images

1. Illustration 1: Fort McHenry in 1814
2. Photo 1: The Walls at Fort McHenry
3. Illustration 2: The Battle of Baltimore
4. Illustration 3: "A View of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry"
5. Photo 2: Fort McHenry Today
6. Photo 3: The Star-Spangled Banner Today
7. Illustration 4: "Star-Spangled Heart"

Putting It All Together: Activities

1. Activity 1: "You Are There"
2. Activity 2: Debating the War of 1812
3. Activity 3: "The Theme of Our Nation"
4. Activity 4: Whose "Star-Spangled Banner"?
5. Activity 5: Places That Define the Community

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Where This Lesson Fits Into the Curriculum

Time Period: Mid-1800s to mid-1900s

Topics: Teachers can use this lesson in American history, social studies, government, and civics classes. It fits well into units about the War of 1812, the early years of the United States government, and American political history.

Relevant United States History Standards for Grades 5–12

This lesson connects to the National Standards for History created by the UCLA National Center for History in the Schools:

US History Era 4

• Standard 1A: Students should understand the international events surrounding—and the results of—the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, and the Monroe Doctrine.

Relevant Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

This lesson also connects to standards from the National Council for the Social Studies:

Theme I: Culture

• Standard C: Students explain and give examples of how language, literature, art, architecture, objects from the past, traditions, beliefs, values, and behaviors help pass culture from one generation to the next.

Theme II: Time, Continuity, and Change

• Standard A: Students understand that different historians may describe the same event in different ways, but they must support their views with reasons or evidence.
• Standard B: Students use key ideas—such as timeline order, cause and effect, change, conflict, and complexity—to explain and connect patterns of change over time.
• Standard C: Students identify and describe important historical time periods and patterns of change within and across cultures, such as the rise of civilizations or the growth of transportation systems.
• Standard D: Students use important research skills—such as using different kinds of sources, checking whether evidence is reliable, and looking for causes—to understand and reinterpret the past.

Theme III: People, Places, and Environments

• Standard A: Students build a strong sense of location, direction, size, and shape when thinking about local areas, regions, and the world.
• Standard B: Students create, read, and compare different ways of representing the Earth, such as maps, globes, and photographs.
• Standard G: Students describe how people build places—like neighborhoods, parks, and shopping centers—that reflect their cultural values and ideals.
• Standard I: Students describe how historical events are shaped by, and in turn shape, geography—both physical (like land and water) and human (like population and borders)—at local, national, and global levels.

Theme IV: Individual Development and Identity

• Standard B: Students describe personal connections to places tied to their community, their nation, and the world.
• Standard C: Students describe how family, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and group memberships shape a person's identity.
• Standard E: Students identify and describe how regional, ethnic, and national cultures influence people's everyday lives.
• Standard F: Students identify and describe how personal perceptions, attitudes, values, and beliefs shape identity.
• Standard H: Students work both independently and with others to reach goals.

Theme V: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

• Standard B: Students analyze how groups and institutions influence people, events, and parts of culture.

Theme VI: Power, Authority, and Governance

• Standard C: Students analyze and explain government systems that meet citizens' needs, manage land, handle conflict, and keep order and safety.
• Standard F: Students explain the conditions, actions, and motives that lead to conflict—and to cooperation—between and within nations.
• Standard G: Students describe and analyze how technology affects communication, transportation, information sharing, and weapons—and how it helps create or resolve conflicts.
• Standard I: Students give examples of, and explain, how governments try to live up to their stated ideals both at home and abroad.

Theme IX: Global Connections

• Standard B: Students analyze examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence (relying on one another) among different groups, societies, and nations.

Theme X: Civic Ideals and Practices

• Standard A: Students examine the origins and ongoing influence of key democratic ideals, such as human dignity, liberty, justice, equality, and the rule of law.
• Standard C: Students find, evaluate, organize, and use information about public issues—recognizing and explaining different points of view.
• Standard D: Students practice civic discussion and participation in ways that reflect the ideals of a democratic republic.

Relevant Common Core Standards

This lesson also supports the following Common Core English and Language Arts Standards for History and Social Studies, for middle and high school students:

Key Ideas and Details

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2

Craft and Structure

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10

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About This Lesson

This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places file for "Fort McHenry," along with a book called The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon (written by Lonn Taylor, Kathleen M. Kendrick, and Jeffrey L. Brodie), and materials created for Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. It was published in 2009. Marilyn Harper, a former historian for Teaching with Historic Places, wrote this lesson, and the Teaching with Historic Places staff edited it. This lesson is part of a series that brings important stories from historic places into classrooms across the country.

Objectives

1. To describe the events of September 12–14, 1814, based on the account given by the commander of Fort McHenry.
2. To describe the fort and how it was affected by the British bombardment.
3. To explain how "The Star-Spangled Banner" came to be written, and to examine the meaning of its words.
4. To identify how the American victory—and the song it inspired—helped build Americans' pride in their country, both then and now.
5. To identify and explore places that matter to a local community's identity and civic pride.

Materials for Students

The materials listed below can be used directly on a computer, or printed out and photocopied for students.

1. One map showing Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry.
2. Two documents: the official report on the bombardment, and the original printed version of the "Defence of Fort McHenry."
3. Two readings: one about how the poem that became "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written, and one about the later history of the War of 1812 and the song.
4. Four illustrations: a picture of the fort, two depictions of the battle, and a World War II poster.
5. Three photos: images of the fort today and of the preserved flag today.

Visiting the Site

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is located at 2400 East Fort Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland.