It’s a song every American has heard countless times, but how much do you really know about our national anthem?

An old controversy concerning the meaning of "The Star-Spangled Banner" re-erupted in August 2016 after NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick explained his refusal to stand during pre-game renditions ...

“The Star-Spangled Banner is a symbol of American history that ranks with the Statue of Liberty and the Charters of Freedom,” said Brent D. Glass, the museum’s then-director, in 2007.

Part of that means facing the reality that everything about “The Star-Spangled Banner” — its lyrics, its author ... separate the national anthem’s meaning from its author, and his gross ...

In time the banner would take on larger meaning ... Thomas Carr of Baltimore united lyrics and song in sheet music, under the title "The Star-Spangled Banner: A Patriotic Song." ...

‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ – but it holds a meaningful place in the hearts of many Americans. The song’s music and lyrics were conceived in the 19th century, by two people who never met: Katharine Lee ...

Let’s take a line-by-line tour of the history and meaning behind the lyrics. Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort ...