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History of 'Star Spangled Banner' vs 'America the Beautiful
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Over the years people have often questioned our national anthem. The real question is should the national anthem be the Star Spangled Banner, or America the Beautiful? Let’s go back and take a look at history on both songs.
Major George Armistead arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, in June, 1813, to take command of Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry was built so it could guard the water entrance to the city. George Armistead ordered Mary Pickersgill, a flag maker from Baltimore, to sew two flags for the fort: a small one, and a large one. Mary was hired under a government contract, and she was assisted by her daughter, her two nieces, and an indentured African-American girl. The large flag of the two flags would soon be known as the Star-Spangled Banner.
The first Flag Act, which was adopted on June 14, 1777, created the original United States flag of the thirteen stars and the thirteen stripes. The second Flag Act approved by congress provided the Star-Spangled Banner with fifteen stars and fifteen stripes. Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union which gave the Star-Spangled Banner the additional stars and stripes. Finally, the third Flag Act, passed on April 4, 1818, provided the number of stripes back to thirteen in honor of the original thirteen colonies and provided for one star for each state. However, the making of the flag is just the beginning. It’s the war of 1812 that gave the flag a song.
The War of 1812 is a little-known war in American history. The conflict of the war helped establish the credibility of the young United States among other nations. It also promoted a strong sense of national pride among the American people. These patriotic feelings are reflected and preserved in the song we know today as our national anthem...
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...e of the songs being considered as the U.S. national anthem before "Star Spangled Banner" was officially chosen.” Going along with what Eppie said, America the Beautiful is really the unofficial national anthem, even though it was considered the U.S. national anthem before Star-Spangled Banner.
The Star-Spangled Banner portrays the flag, and over generations Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories. Not going against what the lyrics are in America the Beautiful, but America the Beautiful portrays America as one whereas the Star-Spangled Banner portrays the flag, and the memories that have been gathered with it as it grew older. However, considering the fact that the war of 1812 is more or less a forgotten war in American history others agree that America the Beautiful is a more suitable song that should be played as our national anthem.
The victory of the War of 1812 was a huge leap toward America becoming its own nation because of the national unity the win provided its citizens. The morale of the citizens lifted greatly because they managed to defeat the greatest military powers of the world and managed to survive. It also proved to the world that the american nation could defend itself from foreign threats. The victory improved America’s self confidence and faith in the military to defend the natiosn freedom and honor.
They were attacking some of America’s forts. Instead of fighting back, the American's hung the American flag out to symbolize their freedom. All night, the British bombs, guns, and cannons exploded in the night, giving off enough light to illuminate the night sky and see that the flag was still proudly standing. The British had failed to tear down the fort’s wall, exemplifying that Great Britain could not suppress the idea of freedom for the United States. After that, a patriot by the name of Francis Scott Key, who was a lawyer and public servant wrote The Star-Spangled Banner. In it, he included “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” He wrote those words in 1814, but it still took almost a century to input it into the making of the Star-Spangled Banner. The Star-Spangled Banner has a special place in American's hearts because it shows how brave the United States was and still is. It shows that when we are united, nothing can break us
In John McCain’s essay “Veterans Day: Never forget their duty” he talks about his friend ,Mike, who was in the same prison camp as he was in and showed the pride that he and his fellow prisoners had for their flag. The American Flag is the most iconic symbol of America and to express pride for The American Flag is to show pride in America itself. On page 7 paragraph 8 “Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang MIke’s shirt on the wall of our cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know that saying the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important or meaningful part of our day now, but I can assure you that for those men in that stark prison cell, it was, indeed, the most important and meaningful event of our day”. John McCain shares with us that the most important part of their day was to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
The colors red, white and blue did not have any real significance in America until their rights for freedom and territory were challenged. "The American flag played no significant role in American life until the Civil War, during the fight at Fort Sumter" (Goldstein 1). Then, to all northerners it became a symbol of pride and an object of "public adoration" (1). The flag was held in such high esteem that the Flag Protection Movement was created in 1890 so that there would be no commercialism of the object(2). The FPM felt as though politicians and merchants were "prostituting" the flag so, in 1900 they joined with the American Flag Association and made a set...
The Star Spangled Banner is currently America’s National Anthem which says a lot about its importance. During the time that this song was written, America was at war with the British in 1812 at the Battle of Baltimore. Francis Scott Key wrote this song after seeing the American flag still standing after the battle in which the British had failed. The inspiration this song brings to the United States proves it to be extremely patriotic and nationalistic. The first verse of the song is what most Americans are familiar with. The Star Spangled Banner provides a visual image of the war and how the flag symbolized America’s independence from Britain. I believe that Francis Scott Key was trying to communicate the importance of America’s independence through symbolism, and provide a sense of nationalism by using description of the war that America had won. The American Flag symbolizes freedom that was fought for while trying to gain independence. It states in the Star Spangled banner that America is “Land of the free and home of the brave”. This signifies nationalism in the sense that in the battle for our independence, we fought for a country that we believed in and
Black anthems have a long standing history that can be traced through their African roots to modern day songs. Political groups have used these anthems to both lead and thrown into crisis their aims and objectives of their political messages. Not only have anthems been used in political areas they have also been used to showcase the culture at the time of their prominence. These anthems have many benefits such as uniting people together for certain causes, however, some of the anthems drawbacks are that they have been nearly forgotten as their respective political groups have faded away into history. The book Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora by Shana L. Redmond proves that anthems have been used
Many people criticize the Confederate Battle Flag because of its tainted history of racism and slavery. But the truth is the South were not the only colonies to own slaves. In fact, Northern colonies auctioned off slaves in the open market all the way from Philadelphia to Boston and New York. It has even been noted in history that many Union generals and heroes such as Ulysses S. Grant and even Benjamin Franklin owned plenty of slaves. Grant even kept his slaves until right after the 13th amendment was billed in December 1865; he was asked about his slaves and why they had not been freed yet to which Grant answered, “Good help is hard to come by these days.” Frankly, the only difference between the Union and the Confederacy was that the Union
In the first stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Francis Scott Key addresses the beauty of the American flag as it was waving at the dawn after the Battle of Baltimore. As he stood on the deck of a ship, Key waited to see if the American’s would emerge victoriously through the night. At dawn, the United States (U.S.) raised its flag to display its victory. The first stanza serves as a depiction of the joy Key feels through the description of the flag as it is an embodiment of his emotions, “O 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” (Key). Key describes the strength and beauty of the flag in a proud manner that relates to his now strong patriotic feelings after witnessing the battle.
However during the War of 1812 it was the Slave Owner and Anti-Abolitionist Lawyer Francis Scott Key who would create the Anthem for the Corporate Colony Flag. Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner while aboard a British Naval vessel and in the company of three British Naval Officers. Following in the earlier deception of My Country Tis of Thee which was written to the Music of God Save the Queen, the Star Spangled Banner was written to the Music of the British Anacreontic Society Song called Anacreon in Heaven. The Star Spangled Banner was written as a glorification of the American Flag which is a product of the British East Indian Company Flag and a symbol of the United States recognized status as a Corporate Colony of
That flag was only a battle flag of General Robert Edward Lee’s army in Northern Virginia. After the war between the North and the South, the flag became a symbol not only of those who died, but became a symbol of Southern Pride and heritage. In recent years, the flag has became a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan and other groups who believe in white supremacy. The flag has also been the symbol of the “States’ Rights Democratic Party” also known as the “Dixiecrats” and was formed in 1948 to oppose civil-rights platforms of the Democratic Party (Taylor, Jessica. "The Complicated Political History Of The Confederate Flag." NPR. NPR, 22 June 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.) Former Neurosurgeon and current presidential candidate Ben Carson said that “The Confederate flag causes a lot of
Many say that the flag should be kept because it stands as a monument to those who gave their life in the "War Between the States." This is not true, for "Our graveyards, literature, and many of our family histories will forever keep alive the memory of those who died in the confederacy" (Opdyke F1). The flag is definitely not the only remaining tribute to our ancestors.
The United States Revolutionary Flag otherwise known as the “Betsy Ross Flag”. The Flags exterior resembles very closely to the United States Flag but differs in the amount of stars the flag bears. The flag shows 13 starts instead of the 50 stars the United States Flag shows. The 13 stars resemble the 13 colonies . The distinction of the flag is how the stars are arranged, in a circle. “In 1877, author Alfred B. Street (1811 - 1881) places the flag at the 1777 surrender of General Burgoyne, and understood the circle of stars to represent equality among the American states” (Wikipedia. “Betsy Ross Flag”). Many people have tied the true meaning to the flag to history. Researchers and historians believe that the stars could resemble the United St...
Many people hail “The Star Spangled Banner” as the greatest piece of American music. The audiences of America’s national anthem seem, instinctively, eager to express their respect by embracing the notion to remove their hats and stand up. However, not many people ponder over the question of what “The Star Spangled Banner” truly means. What does it mean? Why does it deserve so much reverence and honor? What exceptional difference allows it to prevail over the masterpieces of prominent composers like Mozart and Beethoven? The answer is fairly simple. “The Star Spangled Banner” symbolizes America’s perseverance, its set of moral laws and ethics, and its history that constitutes what America truly means.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" (Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States). These words can be heard around half of the schools in the United States, right before kids begin their day. As well as, games, graduations, and other events. We have been taught to recite this while standing up, facing the American flag, and having our right hand over our heart. By doing this, some U.S. citizens feel "that the Pledge, despite its religious content, is primarily a patriotic exercise" (Brown, Simon). Truth is, the pledge of Allegiance shouldn’t be praised as much as it is which can be controversial when others see it as a wonderful thing. What they don’t see, is that the Pledge of Allegiance is actually flawed because of its
For over 200 years, the American flag has been a symbol of our country’s strength and freedom. It has been the beacon of hope for so many both, citizens and noncitizens. It’s stars, stripes, and colors all have meaning. The stars represent the 50 states, the stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the red symbolizes hardiness and valor, the blue stands for perseverance and justice, and the white represents innocence and purity. This flag has been flown, in its variations, since 1776 and since then has provided the hopeless with hope, the freedom to those who were enslaved, and equality to those who wanted their voices heard.