Translations:AY Honors/Christian Citizenship/Answer Key/62/en

The National Anthem of the United States of America is 'The Star-Spangled Banner'. The words were written on September 14 1814, on board a British frigate in Baltimore harbor, where the author, Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) had been detained after successfully petitioning for the release of a civilian friend. He was inspired to write the poem when he saw in the morning, the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry, which had withstood the British bombardment during the previous night. It has 4 verses and all of them end in “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”, meaning that America was built on the aspects of freedom and independence.