Fort McHenry & the Star-Spangled Banner — Quiz

Instructions: Answer each question based only on what you learned from the reading.

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. In what year did Francis Scott Key write his famous poem?
A) 1776
B) 1812
C) 1814
D) 1865

2. How did Francis Scott Key feel about the War of 1812 before witnessing the bombardment?
A) He strongly supported it
B) He had opposed the war
C) He was a British soldier
D) He had no opinion

3. What did Key see through the morning mist that filled him with "joyful triumph"?
A) The British ships retreating
B) A huge flag still flying over the fort
C) A signal from Baltimore
D) The sunrise over the harbor

4. Approximately how long did the bombardment of Fort McHenry last?
A) A few minutes
B) More than 24 hours
C) One week
D) Three days

5. What event in Europe freed the British to focus more military attention on the United States?
A) The French Revolution began
B) Napoleon abdicated
C) Britain signed a treaty with Spain
D) The Battle of Waterloo ended

6. What did the British do after occupying Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814?
A) They immediately sailed home
B) They burned the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings
C) They negotiated peace with Congress
D) They surrendered to American forces

7. What happened to the British ships after Fort McHenry refused to be subdued?
A) They destroyed the fort and took Baltimore
B) They sailed away as the defenders cheered
C) They stayed and continued fighting for weeks
D) They were sunk by American gunfire

8. Because of events like this, many Americans referred to the War of 1812 by what nickname?
A) "The Forgotten War"
B) "The Second War of Independence"
C) "The Great Rebellion"
D) "The War for Baltimore"

Short-Answer Questions

9. Explain in your own words how Francis Scott Key's poem eventually became connected to American national identity.

10. Why was Fort McHenry's location important to the defense of the city of Baltimore?

11. Describe the sequence of events that led the British navy to sail toward Baltimore in the summer of 1814.

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Answer Key

1. C) 1814
2. B) He had opposed the war
3. B) A huge flag still flying over the fort
4. B) More than 24 hours
5. B) Napoleon abdicated
6. B) They burned the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings
7. B) They sailed away as the defenders cheered
8. B) "The Second War of Independence"

1. Sample answer: Key wrote his poem after watching the flag survive the bombardment of Fort McHenry; the poem was almost immediately set to music as "The Star-Spangled Banner," and it eventually became the national anthem of the United States, serving as a source of inspiration and unity for Americans in times of crisis.

1. Sample answer: Fort McHenry stood between the British navy and the city of Baltimore, meaning the British had to get past the fort in order to attack the city itself. By holding out against the bombardment, the fort protected Baltimore from a British assault.

1. Sample answer: After the British defeated Napoleon and no longer had to focus on fighting the French, they turned their attention to the United States. In August 1814, fifty British ships sailed up the Chesapeake Bay, and after occupying Washington, D.C., and burning public buildings on August 24, they turned north toward Baltimore, where Fort McHenry stood in their way.