The words for the Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, sprang to life as he was observing the Bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Originally it was a poem of Key's entitled "Defense of Fort McHenry," that came to be sung to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven." It's melody was attributed to an Englishman named John Stafford Smith. Benjamin Carr of Baltimore published the first musical edition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that grew in popularity with the passage of time. In 1931 an act of Congress made it the official national anthem of the United Stated.
Thanking God for the Freedom to enjoy Independence Day!
Oh, say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
