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 ...

By now you’ve probably heard the claim that America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is an expression of racial hostility toward African Americans and should be either ...

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." ...

Susan Biddle / The Washington Post / Getty Images The Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics to our national anthem in 1814—its appearance above Fort ...