The history and mystery of our national songs

 

 

"Our History is replete with interesting facts, many of which are no longer taught today in our schools.."

The question is raised, "What is our National Anthem?" Most (senior citizens) would respond The Star Spangled Banner. (Today's youth, maybe not.) And most seniors would know it was written by Francis Scott Key. And I would like to think that most seniors remember he wrote the lyrics to that infamous song at a fort outside of Baltimore. He penned those immortal words as this fort came under a blistering attack by the British.

On September 13, 1814, in the course of the War of 1812, as the British were pounding Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem to commemorate the spectacle he was witnessing. Not a song, but a poem. That poem was not called The Star Spangled Banner as many believe. And it was not put to music until a century later. Key was a poet, not a song writer. The sight of our lone American flag, miraculously still flying as the morning light illuminated it, inspired Key to write a poem called The Defense of Fort McHenry.

And then nothing happened. Nothing happened to that now famous poem for 102 years. Then an old English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven became home to the lyrics created by this very old Key poem. John Stafford Smith finished the job that Francis Scott Key had started. He combined the poem with that old English drinking song. In 1916, many people started referring to this very popular new song as The Star Spangled Banner. It became so widely popular, President Woodrow Wilson decreed it should be played at all national events. Then on the third of March in 1931, it became our National Athem.

And what about another national song, America the Beautiful? Or America (Some still call My Country Tis of Thee)? Any history there? For example, why does America sound so much like the British National Anthem, God save the Queen (or King)? Did we steal the melody from the British? Or did the British steal the melody from us? Most believe we stole if from the British. But who cares? The British don't seem to mind. All I know is this - whether it be The Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, or America, it does not matter to me. All have wonderful lyrics which still cause me to moist in the eyes and tight in the throat.

More on all this later. Much, much more to tell about this history. Just know this for now. Our history is both rich and fascinating. In everything - even our national songs. To not teach it anymore in schools, or to change via some corrupt program such as Common Core, is a crime. It is a crime against us all. History is to be preserved and taught, not corrupted.