THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
by Patty Thompson
The following story is based on a factual event in history, which inspired the writing of "The Star Spangled Banner", by Francis Scott Key. The story is written from the flag’s perspective and takes place at the Battle at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
One day back in 1814, I stood proud and tall in Maryland, representing a young and new country. But one day when the wind was low, I heard people below talking of war approaching. They were scrambling around preparing for attack, but I was left to stand. I was scared of what was to come, but I wanted to face who they called the British boldly. This young country needed me. I was to stay on Fort McHenry, which protected the Baltimore Harbor in Maryland. Sometimes they referred to the walls that protected the harbor as ramparts. The Harbor was very productive. I always saw ships coming in and out of the harbor with goods and cargo. From where I flew way up above, there wasn’t much that I didn’t notice.
I guess the British wanted that harbor badly, for one morning they really started a racket. The British were aiming their guns at me. I thought that was kind of rude, considering they did not even know me. They also shot bombshells at me, which would blow up into a million pieces in the air and scatter to the ground around me. Every now and then I would feel one pierce my banner. I was saddened by the fact that my beautiful stars and stripes were being ruined. I longed for the days when I was stretched across from the stiff, knowledgeable hands of Mary Young Pickersgill to the soft, nervous hands of her daughter, Caroline as they sewed me together with such care and tenderness. Oh, the stories they would share would give me such hope, for the country I was to represent. They talked of prosperity and freedom. They would sing songs that would give me such peace. I wished to hear those sweet voices, while the cannons were blasting overhead. As the attack lasted into night, the British used signal rockets, which were the best fireworks display that I’ve seen in awhile.
At daybreak, the attack had ceased and I was tired and torn. The beautiful sunrise that I was used to enjoying was shattered by the smoke and fog that lifted all around me. The air was still and I lay limp. Then a gust of wind blew and I struggled with all my might to use every last ounce of strength to stand. I waved into the sky to make known my presence still atop Fort McHenry. My beautiful broad stripes and bright stars blazed in the sunlight. America had defended their country and sent the British fleets home.
Awhile later, as I floated in the air, I heard people singing below a tune that the Pickersgills sang to me while I was being sewn together, but the words were unfamiliar to my ears. They were singing of that great attack on Fort McHenry. They sang,
O 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?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Source:
Bennett, William J. The Children’s Book of America. New York: Simon and Schuster,
1998.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Whose perspective was the story written from?
2. How would you feel if you were the flag and under attack?
3. Why do you think, from the information given in the story did the British want the port in Baltimore’s harbor?
4. What were parts of the story that could be fact and what were parts that were fiction?
Answers:
1. The story was written from the flag’s perspective.
2. Answers would vary.
3. The British wanted the port in Baltimore’s harbor because it was a rich port with a lot of activity. There was a lot of trade that went on through that port because it was connected to a major trade route.
4. Some parts of the story that were true were the setting in Baltimore, Maryland, the British attack on Fort McHenry, and the involvement of the Pickersgills in sewing the flag. The fact that "The Star Spangled Banner" was given the tune of an old song was also true.
Some parts that were fiction in the story was the personification of the flag and the emotions and thoughts that the flag was given. The number of days between the attack and the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner" is not given and could be misinterpreted, but the words went from Key to his brother-in-law, to the printer, to a tavern before it was even sung to a well-known tune.
Outline:
I. Introduction
II. The attack of Fort McHenry
III. Remembrance of the Pickersgills
IV. The morning after the attack
V. Words to National Anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner"
VI. Lead class in singing of National Anthem
VII. Have the class write a story of something that they did or experienced from another perspective.
Props:
- Words to "The Star Spangled Banner"
- Flag