Francis Scott Key By: Steven Rollman

Beginnings Born in Maryland on August 1, 1779. Home schooled until the age of 10 before going to a grammar school. Came from wealth.

Education, Practice, Family and Service Went to St. John’s College to become a lawyer. Returned to his home area to open a practice. Married and ended up having 11 children. Opened his practice in Georgetown when he was 26. Key was opposed to the war (1812) but fought with the Georgetown Light Field Artillery.

Post War Continued practicing law and became D.C.’s District Attorney in 1833. Key was also known for his contradictory stance on Slavery. As District Attorney, he fought to uphold many of the laws that were pro-slavery, he even owned slaves himself, while publicly stating that slavery is full of sin and “a bed of torture.” Key became ill and passed away on January 11, 1843 at the age of 63.

“Defence of Fort M’Henry” Due to his success as a lawyer, Key was sought to help barter for the release of one of his colleagues, Dr. William Beanes who had been captured by the British during the War of 1812. Key travelled with Colonel John Skinner to Baltimore and aboard the HMS (His/Her Majesty’s Ship) Minden. They were able to negotiate the release of Dr. Beanes, but because of their exposure to the plans of the attack on Baltimore, they were held captive until the bombardment was completed. Viewing the coast from the porthole in his chamber, key was able to see the 15 star/15 striped “Star Spangled Banner”. He began writing a poem about what he saw. Key ended up finishing the poem upon his return to Baltimore and was happy to see that “the flag was still there.” Fort McHenry had withstood the British bombardment. A key victory for the States.

The poem becomes a song Key shared the poem with his brother in law who thought that the stanzas appeared to fit the tune of the increasingly popular drinking song, composed by John Stafford Smith, “To Anacreon in Heaven.” Many broadsides were printed containing the lyrics to the poem and the instructions to sing to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven.”

The song becomes an anthem The song increased in popularity throughout the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century, President Woodrow Wilson requested that the many renditions of the song be condensed into the song as we know it today. John Phillip Sousa (sousaphone) was one of the few men tasked with arranging this original standard. During and after WW1, the 3rd Stanza was cut from the song (sensitivity reasons) as Britain was an ally. Surprisingly, even with the songs popularity, it wasn’t officially adopted as the national anthem until early 1931 despite it being proposed as the national anthem more than six times between 1900 and 1931. Eventually, a petition signed by more than 5 million people sealed the deal and the song became an Anthem.

What is Key’s impact on the humanities? Key’s most major impact will definitely be The Star Spangled Banner. The Star Spangled Banner is played before every American sporting event, during the Olympics when an American wins a gold medal, and can be frequently heard around the 4th of July.

Links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KcHg5ZOIgU http://holyjoe.org/poetry/key.htm

Works Cited "Francis Scott Key." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017. “The Star-Spangled Banner” Wikipedia.com Web. 03 Apr. 2017.