American Pride and the Perpetuation of Hate-Speech

During Thursday’s class, we watched a student-created documentary regarding the third verse of the National Anthem; a verse which I shared no familiarity with up until that point in time. This verse has apparently caused a fair amount of debate recently due to the controversial message it puts forth. Talks of revising of “The Star-Spangled Banner” have been underway for some years, but before one formulates a stuck-in-stone opinion on the matter, they must first understand the events leading up to it being adopted as our country’s National Anthem.

              The original poem was written September 14^th, 1814, by Francis Scott Key, a successful lawyer from Maryland who would later become the attorney general for Washington D.C. After a colleague of his was captured by British troops during the War of 1812, Key sought to negotiate his release. Though the man successfully convinced the British to free his friend, their oppressors wouldn’t allow them to disembark from the ship until the siege of Fort McHenry came to a close. On a ship, miles away from the action, Key watched in awe as the British bombarded the base for nearly 25 hours. However, as we know, the British hailed mortar after mortar to no avail. By the morning of the following day, “Our flag was still there” (Key, 1814). Contrary to popular belief, this poem was not recognized as our national anthem for another 100 years. Only after President Woodrow Wilson required that it be played at all official events in 1916 did it gain national recognition. Fifteen years later, on March 3rd, 1931, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was declared our country’s national anthem. Many know the poem’s first verse, but most don’t realize the there are, in fact, 4 verses within the complete composition.

              "Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave” (Key, 1814). Within the third verse, one can begin to uncover the United States’ dark past. The lines previously stated refer to the slaves who sought freedom, which the British promised in exchange for the slaves’ pledge of allegiance to the empire’s cause. As expected, many of those imprisoned and worked by the American populous chose to take their chance at potential freedom. Unfortunately, during that time, many Americans saw this action as treachery and condemned the slaves who participated; Key shared this view-point. The question remains, does rhetoric like this deserve traction in 2019?

              Many things have changed since 1814 in regards to American culture. Here in 2019, one can be assured that hate-speech like this is far less accepted than it once was. However, though the hatred driven third verse may not be part of our national anthem, it dwells just beneath a noble façade. One does not have to stretch their mental capacity to understand why people in today’s day and age would have a problem with the message brought forth within the lesser known verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” However, does this reasoning justify revising that which has been part of our culture for nearly a century?

              Though slaves are directly mentioned in the text, the finger is never pointed straight at African-Americans. Nowhere in any of the four verses does Key indistinguishably place the blame on black people for devious behavior. Key, rather, made a blanket statement encompassing all those who deviated from the side of the United States during the war. As previously stated, times have changed, drastically. We are on the right track toward equality for all walks of life at this point in time. Back then it was certainly a different case. “The Star-Spangled Banner,” sung as our national anthem, does not include the third verse for good reason. One must accept that the past, has passed. We are no longer what we were. As a child, I lived in Germany for 3 years after my family and I were stationed there. One of the biggest lessons I learned while I lived there was the fact that you can’t erase history, nor can you run from it. The reality is, not a single country in this world has a perfectly clean past. Everyone has made a mistake at one point or another. Some more drastic than others. It is the responsibility of every American to understand the past in order to prevent it from repeating itself. But by deleting or trying to forget about the mistakes we have made previously, we will lose sight on what really matters, the future.

Works Cited:

--Editors, History.com. “The Star-Spangled Banner.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Sept. 2017, www.history.com/topics/19th-century/the-star-spangled-banner. 

--Key, Francis S. “Star Spangled Banner Lyrics.” USA Flag Site, www.usa-flag-site.org/song-lyrics/star-spangled-banner/.