The American Flag
On June 14th, 1777 Congress decided on a design for our national flag. It would have 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 colonies, soon to be states. As our country grew and more states were added, more stars and stripes were added to our flag. Soon our flag became too big! In 1818, Congress decided to go back to the original 13 stripes, but continued to add a star for each new state. In 1960, the 50th and final star was added for the state of Hawaii.
During the War of 1812 Fort McHenry was attacked by British soldiers. The battle raged on through the night. A lawyer, Francis Scott Key was watching the battle. As the lights from the battle lit up the sky he could see that the American flag flying high over Fort McHenry was still there. After the battle ended, he wrote a poem tht became our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
During the War of 1812 Fort McHenry was attacked by British soldiers. The battle raged on through the night. A lawyer, Francis Scott Key was watching the battle. As the lights from the battle lit up the sky he could see that the American flag flying high over Fort McHenry was still there. After the battle ended, he wrote a poem tht became our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
Baltimore, Maryland
The Star Spangled Banner was written off the coast of Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland and is an active seaport. In recent years it has become a favorite of tourists with it's combination of history and inviting Inner Harbor.
