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The National Anthem (True Books, American Symbols)
What I Learned Section 1 -- Answer
the Following Questions:
1. What is the name of the national anthem of
the United States?
The Star-Spangled Banner. An anthem is a song of praise, and people
sing The Star-Spangled Banner to show their pride in and love
for the United States of America.
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2. Who did the United
States fight against in the War of 1812?
Great Britain. James Madison was the President during the War
of 1812. In the early 1800's, Britain stopped U.S. ships from
sailing to France, searched the U.S. merchant ships, and took
British-born American sailors. This was one of the reasons leading
up to the War of 1812.
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3. What event during
the War of 1812 inspired the writing of the U.S. national anthem?
The Battle of Fort McHenry. On September 13, 1814, American Francis
Scott Key witnessed the British Navy attacking Fort McHenry in
Baltimore, Maryland. The next morning, "by the dawn's early light,"
Key saw "that our flag was still there." He was so inspired by
this sight he wrote a poem on a piece of paper from his pocket.
This poem became "The Star-Spangled Banner." Did
you know the flag that flew over Fort McHenry "through
the perilous fight" had 15 stars and 15 stripes, weighed 200 pounds,
and measured 42 feet x 30 feet?
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4. Who wrote the national
anthem of the United States?
Francis Scott Key. Key was a lawyer and poet from Georgetown.
In September, 1814, Key boarded a British warship near Fort McHenry
in Baltimore, Maryland, and helped in the release of American
prisoner, Dr. William Beanes. The two men waited on a small boat
behind the British fleet and watched the Battle of Fort McHenry.
The battle lasted twenty-five hours. The rockets sent off a "red
glare" as the bombs were "bursting in air." The smoke was so thick
Key could not see the fort from his boat and did not know who
was winning the battle. The next morning, Key was delighted to
see "that our flag was still there" which meant the U.S. had won
the battle.
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5. What happened on
March 3, 1931?
The Star-Spangled Banner was made the official national anthem
of the United States. This was over 117 years after Francis Scott
Key wrote it. The Star-Spangled Banner had been a popular song
in the United States. In 1895, it was adopted by the U.S. Army,
and soldiers sang it while they raised and lowered the flag. In
1931, President Herbert Hoover signed the document which made
it the national anthem. Did you know
The Star Spangled Banner is played before ball games, at the Olympic
games when a U.S. athlete wins a gold medal, and at all official
U.S. government occasions?
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What I Learned Section 2 -- Define the
following words:
Anthem: Song of praise or loyalty
Gallantly: Bravely
Gleaming: Shining
Ramparts: Walls of a fort
Spangled: Covered with something
Twilight: Time of day just before dark
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Bonus Questions (Answer 1 of the
Following Questions for Your FREE
Bookmark):
a. What are the words of the national anthem?
O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the rampart's we watch'd were so gallantly streaming?
And the Rockets red glare, the Bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our Flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet waive,
O'er the Land of the free and the home of the brave?
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b. Use five of the words
in Section 2 in a sentence.
Answers will vary. Here are sample sentences from our young readers:
We sing the national anthem
at the beginning of baseball games.
The prince fought gallantly
to save the princess.
The gleaming stars in the
sky are bright.
The fort is surrounded by ramparts.
I like cookies spangled with
chocolate chips.
My family eats dinner at twilight.
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c. Have a parent or friend give you
a spelling test with EACH of the words in Section 2.
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More Valuable Information about the
National Anthem:
Fort
McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
The
National Anthem (Baltimore County Public Library)
Star-Spangled
Banner (Smithsonian Institution)
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