This was a popular British song tune, composed by John Stafford Smith, back in the day sometime in the mid to late 1700s. It was the official song of the Anacreontic Society (Musician's Club) in London in the 1770's [2].
Many years after it was published, and during the War of 1812, the American Poet Francis Scott Key, who was held captive on a ship during the Battle of Baltimore, watched the opposing forces during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, and witnessed the American flag still waving victorious in the early morning light [1].
Inspired by the battle, Key wrote the famous poem which is now known as the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner. Francis Scott Key had in fact written the words with this tune in mind [2], as it was already a well-known song, and so, into the next century, it began being read and sung as a patriotic song by Americans [1].
However, although the song was popular and widely used across many patriotic events throughout the next 100 years, it took almost 120 years after Key wrote the lyrics for it to be officially recognized as the official National Anthem of the United States [1]. A few people argued over the years that it was not fit for being the national anthem, and that other more patriotic songs such as America The Beautiful would be more fitting [1]. Eventually, in 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a bill on March 4, officially adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem of the United States of America [1].
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