Several years after the War for Independence, France and England were engaged in an ongoing conflict that drew America back into war. Known as the War of 1812, it lasted until 1815.
During that war, England invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol, White House, and other government buildings. The British then marched to Baltimore and bombarded Fort McHenry.
Attorney Francis Scott Key, while aboard a British ship to negotiate the release of a captured friend, witnessed the attack on Fort McHenry. Inspired by the courageous defenders of that fort, he penned several lines about the experience.
His writing was published as a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry" [sic]. Set to music, it became known as “The Star Spangled Banner.”
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