Page 56 - Oct Nov 2017

Star-Spangled Bigotry: The Hidden Racist History of the National Anthem
concepts came together friend when he observed In other words, Key was

around Aug. 24, 1815, at the bloody battle of Fort saying that the blood of
the Battle of Bladensburg, McHenry in Baltimore on all the former slaves and
where Key, who was serv- Sept. 13, 1815. America “hirelings” on the battle-

ing as a lieutenant at the lost the battle but man- field will wash away the
time, ran into a battalion aged to inflict heavy ca- pollution of the British P

of Colonial Marines. His sualties on the British in invaders. With Key still O
troops were taken to the the process. This inspired bitter that some black sol- L
woodshed by the very Key to write “The Star- diers got the best of him I

black folks he disdained, Spangled Banner” right a few weeks earlier, “The C
and he fled back to his then and there, but no one Star-Spangled Banner” is E

home in Georgetown to remembers that he wrote as much a patriotic song
lick his wounds. The Brit- a full third stanza decry- as it is a diss track to black B
ish troops, emboldened by ing the former slaves who people who had the audac- R

their victory in Bladens- were now working for the ity to fight for their free- U
burg, then marched into British army: dom. Perhaps that’s why it T

Washington, D.C., burning took almost 100 years for A
the Library of Congress, And where is that band the song to become the na- L
the Capitol Building and who so vauntingly swore, tional anthem. I

the White House. You That the havoc of war T
can imagine that Key was and the battle’s confu- To hear more of the story, Y

very much in his feel- sion A home and a Coun- there is an excellent short
ings seeing black soldiers try should leave us no documentary about the
trampling on the city he so more? Their blood has history of “The Star-Span-

desperately loved. wash’d out their foul gled Banner” by some
footstep’s pollution. students at Morgan State

A few weeks later, in No refuge could save the University. In the mean-
September of 1815, far hireling and slave time, it might be a good
from being a captive, From the terror of flight idea to switch up your

Key was on a British boat or the gloom of the Fourth of July patriotic
begging for the release grave,And the star-span- playlist.

of one of his friends, a gled banner in triumph
doctor named William doth wave. O’er the land
Beanes. Key was on the of the free and the home

boat waiting to see if the of the brave.
British would release his

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