Our National Anthem Commemorative Coin Set

The Birth of Our National Anthem

During the War of 1812, our country was once again at war with the British. On August 24, 1814, British troops successfully invaded Washington, D.C., where they burned the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Library of Congress. They then turned their attention t o the Chesapeake Bay and the heavily fortified harbor town of Baltimore, Maryland.

At the mouth of the harbor stood Fort McHenry, an island fortification that needed to be taken before the large British warships could reach t he city. On September 13, 1814, the British Navy began a 25-hour bombardment of the fort.

Aboard one of the British ships was a young American lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key, who had been negotiating the release of an imprisoned American doctor. Although the two men were freed, they were not allowed to return to shore until after the battle, leaving them no choice but to witness the attack from the enemy ship anchored in the harbor.

Throughout the day and night, the British rained nearly constant cannon fire onto the fort, but were unable to destroy it. At daybreak the next d ay, Key was inspired to see the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry and wrote a stirring poem entitled "The Defence of Fort M’Henry."

His patriotic verse would later be set to music and be called "The Star-Spangled Banner." In 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was officially named as our National Anthem.