The Story of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

A man stood on a ship.
His name was Francis Scott Key.
He did not want this war.
But now he had to watch.

Big ships shot at a small fort.
The fort was called Fort McHenry.
It stood by the city of Baltimore.
The ships came from Great Britain.

The attack went on all night.
It went on for more than a day.
Key looked hard through the morning fog.

Then he saw something big.
It was a huge flag!
The flag showed the fort did not fall.
The fort was still safe.

Key felt so happy and proud.
He picked up some paper.
He began to write a poem.
It started, "O say can you see..."

Why Was There a War?

This happened in 1814.
It was near the end of a war.
The war was called the War of 1812.

America and Great Britain were fighting.
The war started in 1812.
At first, Britain was busy fighting France too.

Later, Britain could fight America more.
In August, British ships sailed up the bay.
They took over Washington, D.C.
They burned important buildings there.

Then the British ships sailed north.
They wanted to attack Baltimore next.
Fort McHenry stood in their way.

The fort would not give up.
So the British ships sailed away.
The people at the fort cheered!

Many Americans felt very proud.
They called it a second fight for freedom.

The Poem Becomes a Song

Not many people remember this war today.
But Key's poem became something special.
People put music to his words.
They named the song "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Today, this song is America's anthem.
An anthem is a special song for a country.
People sing it to feel proud.
They sing it when times are hard too.