Transcript The History of the Star

The History of the
Star-Spangled Banner
www.bcpl.net
United States History
• From 1775-1783 there was a war between Great
Britain and the thirteen “United Colonies.” This
was known as the American Revolutionary War.
Gen. George Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge
www.founderblogs.com/images/map_over.jpg
www.solarnavigator.net/history/american_war_o...
The colonies declared their
“independence” from Great Britain
in 1776.
The original Declaration
of Independence can be
viewed at the National
Archives Building in
Washington, D.C.
en.wikipedia.org
The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull (Capitol mural, Washington D.C.)
Causes of the War
• Taxation
• Unfair
treatment
• Colonists not
given the
same rights to
democracy as
Englishmen
Boston Tea Party 1773
www.authentichistory.com
Key Elements of the War
• Britain used its
superior Navy to
capture and control
cities along the coast.
• Colonists controlled
the countryside,
where 90% of the
people lived.
• France, Spain, and the
Netherlands became
allies of the Americans
in 1777.
The Spirit of ’76 by Archibald Willard
castawayre.blogspot.com
• The British were fighting two wars at the
same time: one against the Americans and
the other against Napoleon, who wanted to
conquer Europe. The vast British Navy was
in need of sailors.
Napoleon
America
Great Britain
Aftermath of the War
• The war ended with the
signing of the Treaty of
Paris in 1783.
• The British agreed to give
up their forts and allow
settlers to move west.
• America became a
country.
The Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West
Americans: John Jay, John Adams,
Ben Franklin, Henry Laurens,
& William Franklin
( The British officials refused to pose!)
de.wikipedia.org
BUT . . .
• The British decided NOT to give back the forts in
America. Therefore, the settlers couldn’t move
west.
• THIS ANGERED THE AMERICANS.
To learn more about forts and their importance, click on this link:
http://legacy.teachersfirst.com/lessons/forts/index.htm
• In order to keep their forces
strong, the British began
the process of impressment.
Impressment is rather like
kidnapping. When the
British boarded an
American ship, the British
commanders would take
sailors with them to fight
on British ships.
eefy.editme.com
• THIS ANGERED THE AMERICANS MORE.
• The British also urged the Indians to
fight the Americans. They gave the
Indians arms and money.
• THIS ANGERED THE AMERICANS EVEN
MORE!!!
www.americanrevolution.com
• America was a new country and many
did not think it could protect itself.
• Shipping was very important to the early
Americans. Business was dependent
upon shipping to other countries.
• Those that were involved in sea trade
did not want to go to war against
Britain. They didn’t want trade to be
disrupted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_the_United_States
• When lawful trade embargos failed to solve
the problems, President James Madison
(Little Jemmy) asked the Congress to
declare war on England in 1812. Many were
against the war, but Madison got Congress
to sign on and the war began.
Madison was a small man –
about 5 ft. 4 inches and
weighed about 120 pounds.
He had enormous intelligence
and was often underestimated
by others.
madison.thefreelibrary.com
WHAT were they thinking???
• The American army
invaded Canada,
still a British
colony, hoping to
conquer this
British territory.
• The Indians joined • The Americans burned
the British and the
the Parliament
Americans were
building in York (now
not prepared for
known as Toronto)
the battle.
and retreated.
www3.nationalgeographic.com
• Meanwhile, in Europe, the British defeated
Napoleon. This left the British free to
concentrate on their war with America.
• They came in full
force with the
largest and most
professional
group of soldiers
in the whole
world.
www.geocities.com
• To get revenge for the burning of York,
the British attacked Washington, D.C.
• Thinking that the British might be on
their way to Washington, Madison and
other political and military leaders left
town.
• Dolley, Madison’s wife,
remained behind. No
one truly believed the
British would attack
Washington.
www.answers.com/topic/battle-of-bladensburg
• The British focused their energy on
Washington and attacked ferociously.
• First they burned the Capitol.
• Then they destroyed all of the books in
the Library of Congress.
• Many civilians were killed, though the
British lost very few soldiers.
en.wikipedia.org
www.jiten.com
• Then, they headed for the President’s
House, where Dolley was about to give
a dinner party.
• The army and
militia of
America was
nowhere to
be seen.
www.whitehousehistory.org
To take a virtual tour of today's White House, click here.
• Dolley ran for her life,
but only after she had
managed to save
many important
historical items,
including the 1799
portrait of George
Washington, velvet
curtains, and
important papers.
Our kind friend, Mr. Carroll, has come to hasten my departure, and is in a very bad humor with me because I insist on waiting until the
large picture of Gen. Washington is secured, and it requires to be unscrewed from the wall. This process was found to be too tedious for
these perilous moments; I have ordered the frame to be broken, and the canvas taken out; it is done – and the precious portrait placed in
the hands of two gentlemen of New York for safekeeping.” Dolley Madison
www.whitehouse.gov
• Before the British burned Madison’s
home, they sat down and enjoyed
the dinner Dolley had prepared for
her guests.
• Then they set fire to the President’s
mansion.
• The British could not know
that a hurricane was on its
way to Washington.
• To the citizens of Washington
it seemed that the hand of
God reached out and
punished the British.
• The hurricane hit, tornados
touched down, and many
soldiers lost their lives.
• Washington was in ruins.
www.h-net.org
• After the destruction
of Washington, the
British headed for
Baltimore.
• Baltimore was a very
important port, the
home of many
American ships.
www.usatourbookings.com
• Now, imagine the port
filled with ships.
• The British called
Baltimore “The City
of Pirates.”
• Baltimore patriots
were not going to
give up their city
without a fight.
Baltimore today
www.baltimore.org
• Baltimore was under the command of
Major General Samuel Smith.
• Major Smith convinced the ship owners
to sink their own ships in the water.
• This turned out to be a great plan – the
British warships couldn’t come into the
harbor because of the sunken vessels.
• Baltimore also was home to Fort
McHenry.
• This fort, located on Baltimore
Harbor, was commanded by Major
George Armistead.
• The fort was
shaped like a star,
with cannons
mounted at every
point.
www.cr.nps.gov
• In 1813, a year before the British
attack, Major Armistead had hired
Mary Pickersgill to sew a huge flag,
30 feet high and 42 feet wide.
• Mary had never made such
a huge flag. Her workshop
wasn’t big enough!
• She, her daughter Caroline, and seven
other women sewed the giant flag in
a brewery after working hours, often
sewing until midnight by the light of
an oil lamp.
• When it was
done, it had 15
stripes and 15
stars. Each star
was two feet
across.
• Major Armistead
had one of the
biggest flags in
the country.
• A year later, in Aug. 1814, Dr. William
Beanes was arrested by the British for
throwing three trouble-making British
soldiers in jail.
• By September, the British were
preparing to attack Baltimore.
• Francis Scott Key, a Washington, D.C.
lawyer and friend of Dr. Beanes,
and John Skinner, the Commissary
General in charge of
prisoner exchanges,
sailed up to the British
fleet in a small boat to
ask the Admiral to
release Dr. Beanes.
www.mdarchives.state.md.us
• Mr. Key argued that the British
should release Dr. Beanes because
he was not a soldier and had
helped many people, including
British soldiers.
• General Ross agreed with Mr. Key
and released Dr. Beanes.
• While on board the ship, Mr. Key
and Mr. Skinner found out that the
British were about to attack
Baltimore.
• Because they knew of the British
plans, they were held on board a truce
ship while Baltimore was attacked.
• All they could do was watch while the
British bombed
the fort with
200 pound
bombs and
rockets.
• The British warships fired on Fort
McHenry for 25 hours.
• Because of the sunken ships, the
warships could not get close enough
to land.
• The three men, Beanes, Key, and
Skinner, were helpless as they
watched the fort being
destroyed.
• They could not see through all
the smoke and the dark night.
• Finally, at dawn
on September 14,
1814, Mr. Key
looked through
his telescope.
• He saw the huge
American flag
waving proudly
over Ft. McHenry.
• The Americans had
won the battle!
www.uss-hornet.org
• Francis Scott Key was
so overjoyed that he
sat down and wrote
his poem, “The
Defense of Fort
McHenry,” which
was published in
just a few days.
byfaithonly.com/America/Key.html
• The words were then set to a popular
song, Anacreon, and the title changed
to “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
• In 1931, Congress named it the official
American National Anthem.
www.nationalanthemproject.org
• In later years, Major
Armistead gave away
small pieces of the
flag to widows who
had lost their
husbands in the war.
The flag got smaller.
• The flag was given to the Smithsonian
Museum in Washington in 1912.
• The flag is currently undergoing repairs.
Workers are trying to treat the material
that is slowly falling apart.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/i
mages/thumbs/060630-fourth-july_170.jpg
• Currently, the
flag can only be
viewed in a
room in the
Smithsonian
National
Museum of
American
History where it
is undergoing
extensive
renovation.
Smithsonian photo #95-1155/4 by Eric Long)
DID YOU KNOW?
• This was the only U.S. flag with 15
stars and stripes.
• It took 400 yards of wool and cotton to
complete the flag.
• Each star measured two feet from
point to point.
• Each stripe was two feet wide.
• The flag’s original cost was $405.90.
• The flag was delivered just weeks
before the Battle of Baltimore.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Nearly 61 % of Americans do not know
all of the words to the Star- Spangled
Banner.
• More than 70 % of Americans learned
the Star-Spangled Banner at school
during music.
• Among teens, 38 % do not know the
name of our National Anthem.
• Less than 35 % of teens can name the
author of the National Anthem.
LET’S CHANGE THIS…..
• AS FEW AS 15 %
OF AMERICAN
YOUTH CAN
SING THE
WORDS TO
THE ANTHEM.
nj1812.homestead.com/History.html
• Oh, say! Can you see, by the dawn’s
early light,
• What so proudly we hailed at the
twilight’s last
gleaming?
• Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
through the perilous fight,
• O’er the ramparts we watched were so
gallantly streaming?
Ramparts
• And the rockets’
red glare, the
bombs bursting
in air
• Gave proof
through the
night that our
flag was still
there.
• Oh, say,
does that
Star-Spangled
Banner yet
wave
• O’er the land
of the free and
the home of
the brave?
Original by Patricia
Oeste, 2004
Modified and
expanded by Nancy
Johnson, 2007
For more information about Fort McHenry
and the history of the Star-Spangled Banner
visit these sites:
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic
Shrine
History, music, and educational resources.
National Museum of American History
A history of the flag, and its display and preservation
at the Smithsonian.