The star-spangled banner

Description

The earliest extant version of Francis Scott Key's poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry," which went on to become the basis of the United States national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." This manuscript was handwritten by Key, a Maryland lawyer and amateur poet, on September 14, 1814, at the Indian Queen Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland after Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British forces in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. The poem was published in the Baltimore Patriot newspaper on September 20, 1814, and was later put to the tune of a popular song at the time titled "To Anacreon in Heaven." It was henceforth known as "The Star-Spangled Banner." In 1931, Herbert Hoover signed into law a bill making the song the national anthem of the United States of America.