"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light / What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? / Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, / O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?"
For elementary grades, Ben Franklin tells the story of how Francis Scott Key was held overnight by the British during the bombing of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
From the History & Culture section of the Encyclopedia Smithsonian, this entry is full of important stats about the original star-spangled banner that "inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song that would become our national anthem."
This illustrated slide show and timeline tells the story of the our country's flag, with interesting tidbits along the way that turn out to be important later.
In 1812, Francis Scott Key was a young Georgetown lawyer living just a few miles from the federal buildings in Washington. D.C., when war broke out over Britain's attempts to regulate American shipping while Britain was at war with France.
"The Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project is saving an American treasure -- the flag that inspired our national anthem.
