How a Tone-Deaf Lawyer Wrote America’s National Anthem
Jul 4, 2025
20:18
forum Ask episode
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
On this episode of Our American Stories, Francis Scott Key wasn’t a musician, a soldier, or a master wordsmith. But after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he scribbled out a rough poem that captured a nation’s defiance. Set to the tune of a British drinking song, his words became "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the unexpected anthem of a young country.
