Francis Scott Key poem that became national anthem will join Fort McHenry Flag for 1st time

[Rowdyboy]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/francis-scott-key-poem-that-became-the-national-anthem-will-join-fort-mchenry-flag/2014/01/08/daf1f344-7884-11e3-b1c5-739e63e9c9a7_story.html

The original handwritten manuscript of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the flag that inspired the song’s lyrics will be displayed together at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the first time the historic pieces are believed to have been shown side by side.

The manuscript normally is on display at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, and the flag has been at the Smithsonian since the early 1900s. They can be viewed together from Flag Day, June 14, through July 6. The display is the start of celebrations marking 200 years since the song was written on September 14, 1814.

Francis Scott Key wrote the song’s words during the War of 1812. Key watched as the British bombarded Baltimore’s Fort McHenry. When he saw the fort’s flag flying after the battle, a signal that U.S. troops had withstood the enemy, he was inspired to write a poem originally called “Defence of Fort McHenry.” The poem, set to music and later renamed, became the country’s national anthem in 1931.

Key’s manuscript has two surprises for viewers who know the song. First, Key’s poem has four stanzas, though the first stanza is the only one that’s traditionally sung. Second, Key wrote, “Oh say can you see through the dawn’s early light,” but crossed out “through” and wrote “by.”