LET’S CELEBRATE AMERICA FORT McHenry Our Flag was Still There by Joanne Mattern
the banner still waves The United States flag is a powerful symbol of our nation During a battle soldiers and others often look to the flag to make sure it is still waving and that the nation it represents has not been defeated If a flag flying on a fort comes down the people watching know that the battle has ended in defeat Perhaps no one watched the American flag as closely as Francis Scott Key did on September 13 1814 near Baltimore Maryland At that time the United States was fighting a war against Great Britain The British had already burned the capital of Washington D C including the White House Now it looked like they might take control of the city of Baltimore as well As Key watched he strained to see if the American flag still flew over Fort McHenry just outside the city It was hard to see through all the smoke and rocket fire Key peered through a telescope The flag was still flying Key was so excited he wrote a poem about this great event Later the poem was set to music Still later the song became the national anthem of the United States 4
IT’S A FACT Francis Scott Key was being held prisoner on board a British ship as he watched the battle 5
