the meaning of the star spangled banner song

Her inspiration was her awe for what she witnessed, very much like Francis Scott Key almost a century before.

It talks about the possibilities of this nation.”Īmerica The Beautiful was written in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates – a thirty-three year old English professor from Wellesley College – as she traveled by train across our great nation. Quoting Lynn Sherr, ABC News correspondent and author of the book America the Beautiful: The Stirring True Story Behind Our Nation’s Favorite Song says this, “I think it’s simple, I think it’s emotional, and I think it talks about a country, a land and its people - not just about a flag, not just about a battle.

Although not the National Anthem, America The Beautiful is just as widely recognized by Americans, and has been called the most beloved of all American patriotic songs. Many Americans consider it to be militaristic, and for many years, people have lobbied for it to be replaced by what they believe to be a better representation of our nation, America The Beautiful. What it isn’t is easy to sing, with an octave range that is challenging to even the best of singers. The song has a rich history, being inspired by the perseverance of the American spirit in battle, and the American flag itself. There are actually four stanzas to the song, but only the first is commonly sung or played today. The lyrics are taken from a poem titled “The Defense of Fort McHenry”, written by amateur poet Francis Scott Key in 1814 after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by The British Navy in The War of 1812. It has been so since it was made official by congressional resolution on May 3, 1931. In The United States of America, our National Anthem is The Star Spangled Banner.

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines National Anthem as “a hymn or song expressing patriotic sentiment and either governmentally authorized as an official national hymn or holding that position in popular feeling.”

The meaning of the star spangled banner song