The History and Meaning of Our National Anthem

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The History and Meaning ofOur National Anthem

• By
• Paula Stevens
• Madison TTL - 2002

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The Star Spangled Banner

• By Francis Scott Key

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History

• War of 1812
• Watched the bombing of Fort McHenry through the
  night
• At dawn saw flag
• Inspired to write poetry
• Published as The Defense of Fort McHenry
• Later set to music as The Star Spangled Banner

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• O say can you see by the dawns early light,

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• What so proudly we hailed at the twilights last
  gleaming

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• Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the
  perilous fight,

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• Oer the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly
  streaming?

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And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in
air,
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• Gave proof through the night that our flag was
  still there,

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• O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

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• Oer the land of the free and the home of the
  brave?

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Vocabulary Words

• Dawns
• Hailed
• Twilights
• Gleaming
• Perilous
• Ramparts
• Gallantly
• Streaming
• Rockets
• Proof

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Dawns

• To begin to be day
• To grow light
• Back

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Hailed

• To welcome, greet
• To name by way of tribute salute
• To call out to or greet
• Cheered
• Back

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Twilights

• A subdued light just after sunset
• The period from sunset to dark
• Growing in darkness
• Back

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Gleaming

• A flash or beam of light
• A reflective brightness
• A brief trace
• To shine or reflect
• Shining
• Back

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Perilous

• Exposure to harm or injury
• Dangerous
• Involving risk
• Back

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Ramparts

• An embankment of earth surrounding a fort
• For defense against attack

• Back

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Gallantly

• Stately
• Brave and noble
• To escort
• Bravely
• Back

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Streaming

• A steady movement or flow
• To move swiftly
• To extend or to stretch out
• Constantly moving
• Back

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Rocket

• A cylindrical devices that propel through the air
• Weapon
• Fireworks
• Bomb
• Back

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Proof

• A test or trial of truth
• The process of proving
• Evidence
• Back
• End

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Francis Scott Keys poem The Defense of Fort
McHenry was not officially adopted as our
national anthem until March 3, 1931.