Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812.

From the Baltimore Clipper, May 21. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s ...

Initially known as “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” it was ... slavery in the U.S., according to the National Park Service's Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.