

These two men had traveled into the Baltimore harbor with plans to meet with the British Vice Admiral George Cockburn and discuss the possible release of an American doctor. In the harbor at the same time were two Americans: British Prisoner Exchange Agent Colonel John Stuart Skinner and a Georgetown lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key. It would be devastating news for the Americans to lose two coastal cities to the British. by The Redcoats a month earlier than this day, Baltimore city was viewed as the last line of defense. This harbor was a heavily protected and last line of defense for the city of Baltimore.ĭue to the recent capture of Washington, D.C. However, you might be curious about how this rendition came to be.ĭuring the War of 1812, on the morning of September 13, 1814, British naval ships began firing upon Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. If you’re reading this as an American citizen, you’re supposed to know the lyrics to our country’s national anthem.

In the United States today, it still holds prominent meaning and tradition when it’s sung before every NFL game before the iconic military jet “flyover.”Įven if you live in America and have sung this rendition before, you might be wondering why you stand during its playing.įind out the answer to that question below! “The Star-Spangled Banner” is one of the most famously written national anthems in the world.
