READ/WATCH: Star-Spangled Banner (National Anthem)
Listen to the National Anthem
It's not exactly clear who set Key's poem to music. Some say it was Key's brother-in-law, Joseph Nicholson; others say it was Key himself. Either way, it is a song that has become the National Anthem that is deeply patriotic embedded in American culture. You have probably heard it many times before and some would describe it, " As American as Apple Pie" or "As American as Baseball".
Now that you have read the poem, listen to a performance of the National Anthem. As you listen about the following:
- Remember an event where they have seen or heard the national anthem performed: at a ballgame, an Independence Day celebration or parade, a Veterans Day memorial service or parade, etc.
- Why do you think the anthem is played at these type of events.
- Does listening to "The Star-Spangled Banner" performed as a song and set to music evoke different emotion than reading it?