photo #479440

The Star Spangled BannerO say can you see by the dawn's early lightWhat so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleamingWhose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fightO'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in airGave proof through the night that our flag was still thereO say does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the braveThe Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem started out as a poem about the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key, an attorney wrote this poem in description of the giant 15 stars/15 stripes flag at Fort McHenry that survived the onslaught of the British Royal Navy's battle ships in Baltimore Harbor.The Star Spangled Banner was made the official National Anthem by Congressional resolution in 1931.