Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779-January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer and poet. He was on a diplomatic mission from Washington, D.C., to free a popular American doctor held captive aboard the British flagship in Chesapeake Bay. On the fateful night of September 14, 1814, the ship Francis Scott Key was aboard was commandeered by the British, and he was forced to watch as the British unmercifully bombarded the U.S. Fort McHenry. As the smoke of the night passed and the morning light dawned, Key saw "Old Glory" still waving. So inspired was he that he penned The Star Spangled Banner, later adding the music from the old hymn "To Anacreon in Heaven." Within weeks it was being sung all over the country, and on March 3, 1931, by official act of Congress (36 U.S.C. Sec.170), it became the National Anthem of the United States. The fourth verse is as follows:
<O! thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;
And this be our motto, "In God is our trust!"
And the star spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!> 1779FK001
As a poet, Frances Scott Key also expressed an unusual depth:
<PRAISE FOR PARDONING GRACE
Lord, with glowing heart I'd praise
Thee For the bliss Thy love bestows;
For the pardoning grace that saves me,
And the peace that from it flows.
Help, O God, my weak endeavor,
This dull soul to rapture raise;
Thou must light the flame, or never
Can my love be warmed to praise.> 1779FK002
On March 22, 1814, to the Washington Society of Alexandria, Francis Scott Key stated:
<The patriot who feels himself in the service of God, who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of Almighty direction, and will find His Word in his greatest darkness, 'a lantern to his feet and a lamp unto his paths'....He will therefore seek to establish for his country in the eyes of the world, such a character as shall make her not unworthy of the name of a Christian nation.> 1779FK003
On July 4, 1831, in an oration delivered in the Rotundo of the U.S. Capitol, Francis Scott Key addressed supporters of President Andrew Jackson, stating:
<The spectacle of a happy people, rejoicing in thankfulness before God and the world for the blessing of civil liberty, is no vain pageant.> 1779FK304
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1779FK304. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Francis Scott Key, July 4, 1831, delivered an oration to supporters of President Andrew Jackson in the Rotundo of the U.S. Capitol.