Although it is now relatively rare to see protesters burn the U.S. Perhaps because the flag and the anthem are such powerful symbols, they have had the power not only to unite but to serve as flashpoints for protests.

flag, which had defiantly flown over Fort McHenry during the British bombardment.įor many years, it has been customary to play the national anthem at many sporting events, often as individuals put their hands over their hearts as they face an American flag. history when Americans were able to keep the British from capturing Baltimore, and of extolling the U.S. Although more difficult to sing than some of its competitors, it had the virtue both of encapsulating a key moment in U.S. Vile.Ĭongress did not declare “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which Francis Scott Key drafted in 1814, as the nation’s national anthem until 1931, but it had long been recognized as one of America’s most rousing patriotic songs. History, Culture, and Law (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2021), by John R. America’s National Anthem: “The Star-Spangled Banner” in U.S.

What is the star spangled banner song