The Man Behind The National Anthem Paid Little Attention To It
Francis Scott Key is most famous for writing the "Star Spangled Banner." But after he penned the now-famous lyrics, he hardly mentioned them.
Francis Scott Key is most famous for writing “The Star-Spangled Banner” after the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. But after he penned the now-famous lyrics, he hardly mentioned them during his life.
Historian Marc Leepson‘s book, “What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life,” tells Key’s story. We revisit a conversation Here & Now‘s Robin Young had with Leepson (@MarcLeepson) in July 2014.
Book Excerpt: ‘What So Proudly We Hailed’
By Marc Leepson
Introduction: A Classical Speaker
The man could talk. The well-connected, highly successful Washington, D.C., lawyer—the scion of an aristocratic Maryland family—was known throughout the early American Republic for his multifaceted oratorical
