The Star Spangled Banner - A Flag, an Anthem, an Emblem

In 1794, The U.S. Congress passed a new Flag Act that redesigned the 13 star, 13 stripe flag, and added 2 stars and 2 stripes to account for the inclusion of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union.

The new U.S. Flag included 15 stripes, and 5 rows of 3 stars each, each row offset like it is on today's U.S. Flag.

In 1813, the British returned to attack the United States, and Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry outside of Baltimore, commissioned Mary Pickersgill to create the largest flag to fly over a U.S. institution to date.

It was this flag, identified as the Great Garrison Flag of Fort McHenry, that was flown during the naval bombardment of September 13-14, 1814. Fort McHenry was assailed by 19 ships firing cannons, rockets and mortars over two days in an attempt to enter Baltimore harbor, but after 25 hours' bombardment, Baltimore was defended and saved, and Fort McHenry was still in American hands, proudly flying the 15 starred and striped Great Garrison Flag.

It was this flag that American Lawyer and Poet Francis Scott Key saw while aboard the HMS Tonnant. Key and Colonel John Stuart Skinner were on site to negotiate prisoner releases, but were not permitted to return to the ship they arrived on, due to the British preparations for attack. From the deck of the Tonnant, Key witnessed the repulsion of the British and, inspired by the events of the battle, wrote "The Defense of Fort McHenry" on the back of a letter.

Francis Scott Key wrote 4 stanzas to his poem, but only the first stanza caught on to be officially recognized by the U.S. Navy in 1889. In 1931, Congress agreed to make The Star Spangled Banner the national anthem.

Sung to the tune of a popular drinking song at the time, To Anacreon in Heaven, The Star Spangled Banner poem was seen to line up with the tune very well and held this form from its inception to the present day.

Francis Scott Key can also be credited with the phrase "In God We Trust". First used on coinage in 1864 and not officially recognized until 1956, Key's poem includes "And this be our motto: In God is our Trust" in the rarely sung 4th stanza.

The design of the 15 stripe/15 star Star Spangled Banner lasted only 23 years, reverting back to 13 stripes to honor the original 13 colonies, and never to return to it's previous number. As more states were added to the union, more stars were added as well, but the 13 stripes remained a constant.

Today, the current incarnation of Old Glory features a field of 50 stars, one for each state, and the same 13 stripes. This design turned 50 years old on July 4th, 2010.

Although short lived, the 15 stripes and 15 stars of the Star Spangled Banner, which flew during the War of 1812, should continue to fly in our memory as a reminder of American resilience and fortitude, memorialized by the awestruck who watched our forces defend the United States against overwhelming forces over two nights outside of Baltimore harbor. The Star Spangled Banner is Key's legacy and ours.

Long May She Wave Flag Video from Studio Hinrichs on Vimeo.

I was going to include all 4 stanzas of The Star Spangled Banner here, but found an essay by Isaac Asimov who not only lists the lyrics, but provides commentary on their power and the effects it had on others as he spoke about it.

All Four Stanzas by Isaac Asimov