Question: -Background

Francis Scott Key was born in 1779 in Maryland. After graduating from college, Key studied law. With his wife, Key moved to Washington, D.C., where he lived for 28 years, raising 11 children and establishing a successful law firm.

Answer: -During the War of 1812, Key was sent on a legal mission to Baltimore. His goal was to gain the release of a friend who had been arrested and was being held on a British ship in the Chesapeake Bay.

Question: -During the week that Key was negotiating the release, the British ordered an assault on Baltimore. The city was a prime target because it had an important harbor and was near the capital of Washington, D.C.

Answer: -The attack on Baltimore began early on the morning of September 13. Fortunately, American soldiers in Baltimore were prepared. They launched counterattacks from Fort McHenry, which guarded the inner harbor of the city.

Question: -Key watched the attack from a ship eight miles away. He and his colleagues kept an anxious eye on the flag flying over the fort. It told them that the Americans were holding on.

Answer: -By dawn on September 14, the fighting had ended—and the American flag was still flying. The colonists had prevailed. Inspired and overjoyed, Key jotted down a few notes about the event. In a matter of days, he had composed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Question: -By the time Congress declared it the official U.S. national anthem in 1931, the song had been an unofficial national anthem for many years.

Answer:

Question: -What is the tone of stanza 3?

Answer: -defiant

Question: -Symbolism

Just as the flag emerged from the mist at the end of the battle, so was it emerging as a powerful national symbol.

Answer: -A symbol is a physical representation of something nonphysical. Symbols are rich in meaning. They can evoke different meanings and emotions for different people.

Question: -What does the flag symbolize in the song itself?

What does it symbolize for many Americans today?

What does it symbolize for you personally?

Answer: