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MW [Michael Waldman] - Personal: Francis Scott Key [2]
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F A X TRANSMISSION
N A T I O N A L M U S E U M OF A M E R I C A N H I S T O R Y
OFFICE OF CAPITAL PROGRAMS
202/357-2501
FAX: 202/357-3774
To:
Paul Tuckman
Date:
January 12, 1998
Fax U:
202/456-5709
Pages:
14, including this cover shed.
From:
Carol Frost
Subject:
I'lancis Scott Key speech
COMMENTS:
This is a duplicate fax — the one I sent a few moments ago had a crazy cover-sheet, with the
wrong beading and the wrong "from" name. Our computers have a peculiar default that V ve
never been able to get rid of. At any rate, this is what I sent before — I hope you received the rest
of it.
Ka/.ia, in the Millennium Program office, told mc that you'd like to have the entire July 4, 1831
speech by Key. portions of which I faxed over earlier; so here you are, interspersed with plenty of
commentary by the author of this biography, Edward S. Delaplaine.
Kazia also said you'd probably send an intern over here tomorrow to photocopy the entire book.
It's 506 pages, including the index, so make sure you send someone with stamina! Security here
is quite tight - the public can't get into the floors with offices - so whomever you send should
go to the Information Desk at the entrance to the Museum, and have one of the people there call
me (357-2501). If the person comes before 10:00 (which is when N M A H opens to the public),
they'll need to come in the Constitution Avenue entrance, tell the guard they're here to see me,
and he or she will call me. (It might be best if the intern calls mc before leaving, so T can make
sure I don't get pulled into a meeting.)
Good luck: 1 hope something of Key's makes it into the speech, l i e was a Washington lawyer,
you know.
�THE WHITE HOUSE
WASH INGTON
OFFICE OF THE MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
Phone: (202) 395-7200
Fax: (202) 395-7234
T:
O
P^T^X
POE
HN:
FAX:
FROM:
G^TTO'V
Ellen McCuIloch-Lovell,
Deputy Assistant to the President and
Advisor to the First Lady on the MiUennium
Y
Other
V v ^ V V \ ^ . Qortc/f
DATE:
Number of pages (including cover):
Q
MESSAGE:
THE WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
708 Jackson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20503
The infonnation contained in this facsimile is CONFIDENTIAL and intended for the recipient
ONLY. Please call if there are any problems with this transmission.
TOOia
HDIJJO m i N N a n i K
tZZL Sec ZOZ XVi TC:8T N W S6/ZT/T0
O
�F A X TRANSMISSION
NATFONAL MUSEUM OF AMEuiCAivHiSTouEY
O F F I C E OK CAPITAL PROGKAMS
202/3572501
F**- 202/3S7.3774
To:
(jitiger Cleaiy
Date:
January 12, 1998
Fyx #:
202/395-7234
Pages:
8, including this cover sheet.
From;
Carol Frost
Subject:
F.S. Key s inspirnliona! words
COMMENTS:
Here are some excerpus from a speech Francis Scott Key made from the Capitol Rotunda on luly
4, 1831, on "Tlie Blessings of Liberty." I haven't included the whole thing - I've omitted the
pages that were wrapped up with partisan issues of the day, or with religums imagery, which
didn't seem appropriate.
The page with the most useful quotations, in my opinion, is 311, and I've asterisked those
passages. The rest is more or less interesting, and since I'm not sure what the speech-writers are
interested in, they may want to scan the rest.
Tli keep looking; if anything better comes to hand, I'll fax it over to you.
Let me know if any of this winds up in the speech! Thanks.
tvzi sec Z Z XVi TC:8T MW 86/ZT/T0
O
O
�FRANC S SCO"" ' KEY
LIFE AND TIMES
' /
BY
EDWARD S- DELAPLAINE
Author ol
The Life of Thomas Johnson
ILLUSTRATED
BIOGRAPHY PRESS
38 HaLsey Street, Brooklyn
XEW YORK
1937
�'"in
5 SCOTT K E Y
lortion of the earth as one "oj
ut human happiness," he decl!
JACKSON
AND
LIBERTY
icn all, had nothing further.!
i happiness of a delivered pei
rt-lived joy. Too often li^ve
when successful, only in a
\c now minnilft hia started w
of .1 period < I rrtvoluUon/f
>
was o'ertliTown."
ipearfttl in this country. At the
t, patriot lendei'S looked ahes
/cry moment when they were]
sh Crown, they declared not
wa" but also "what Umy meal
succeeded. "Had their measa
om or courage, thny would
i far inferior project. They
That a people could govern themselves—a
people
|. neither born nor bred to such a busineas — would
I never have boon the opinion of men who took thsir
| views from the karnine' ot thai U y.
^.
§ oiade the penssinned advocate of power. In those days
I if a wrilcr was inclined to defend popular guvtmmcnt*
r there were not many parts of th« world where it could'
j b e done with safety; while the doctrines that detaounccd such ^avernments had hosts of retainers
leverywlicre maintained and richly rewarded
UTIPder such circumstances, and in such times, no ordinary
|rnen could ha^e pur forth the Declaration nf American
IJndepenUtince. And the men who made this ftarlcsa
I'appeal to God and th« world, in behalf of the lone
| violated and almost forgotten riphta of mankind, were
I no ordmary men. They were fitted by Providence to
a
, th« e x i r
t
C n c y
t
o
w
h
i
c
h
t
h
c
y
w
e
r
h
a
d
b
n
c
; nan of Ic^ninp among them, but they were also men
of wwdom. There were many others summoned from
their farms and workshops, to whom politics was in a
frreat measure, a new study. But ihcy brought'to it
strong m,nds and devoted hearts, and, bowing to no
hurn*„ authority determined to work out i u questions
for t h e m , d » „ Th*y were not ignorant of man and
th« afe,™ f the „ i
,
ai
d t h^
ft
With uch qualification* it ia not wonderftil that they
metered tb«ir subject, and became legidators and
statesmen such a the world has rarely witnessed
From such men, no evil of sophistry could hide the
truth; and no fear of man could deter them from main-
W h ilSL ^ ^ r " ^ ?
i
0
:ance, blindly leaving ir to oir
^
I
Ive."
ic grip of Great Britain. "B^
M
[ up by God for the special purpose of establish in g d,i
and, however ••snrirhed by Na
h called for thanksgiving wa
303
w
r
d (
a
n
d
t
h
^««
k l l B W
te .
hm
f e c t
t h
b
; oour.se and in lis results."
to same other Power, in cans
f:y might have established ajj
of sonn? favored family to^
5
i n
U , C
wS«f A f r ^ , ^
^ " t i o n of h*i^
purpose that bold and eloquent avovrM of the rcat
t
themes "very respectable autl
t tlie Founding Fathers had
soo@
K
been r r
^
^
^
™
^
been h^tenrng Hence they put « issue, in the holy
•tafc upon whKh they were entering, the estabJi J
tszi sec Z Z XVJ S : T
O
C8
M W SB/ZT/TO
O
�304
FRAKCIS SCOTT KEY
JACKSON AJVD LIBERTY
menl of a government which, should rest upon no other
foundation than the will of the people.
|oi4te, we are indebled for the wisdom which de
The orator explained how the wisdom of the men
tifulion. This was the crotm of their labour:
IConsti
of the Continental Congress was manifested in American
icured to the land ihey had delivered the blessi
Icrovra of our rejoicing."
tary. "It was the avowal of these principlea and this purpoa
At this point the orator alluetl to tbe difficu
he maintained, "that sanctified their Cause, jualified
nted tbe framera of the Constitulicui in 17B7
appeal to Heaven, and gave it its succe&k" In the Con
"aumnon difficulties' thai presented themsc.
Caose the Nation was welded together. Tbe people saw I
"their dearest rigbla were to be sustained or lost fore
Thus did tbe Colonies become a Nation of Patriots. '*
friends of Civil Liberty were awakened. They saw that ujj
our fields was to be decided the fate of Nations, the dt
Man. Thefcenevolentof every lend gave us their »yinp
and prayer*, some gave us—a gilt never to be forgo
themselves." And so he agreed with the poet that
Cause ia seldom oneuccessful:
Power usurp'd
ta weakness when oppor'd: conscious oi wrong,
'Tis pusillanimous and prone to flight.
But men that once conceive tlie glowing thought
Of Freedom, in that hope itself possess
All that the contest calls for —spirit, strength,
The scorn of danger and united hearts:
The surest presage of the good they seek.
J, "when die principlei they lad proclaim
ught into a system, adapted to the situatior
ces of tbe comraunity for which it was intoi
ng to Francis Scott Key, these problems
olved. "The people," he explained, "were to f<
"ovemment of limited and defined powers, ii
the common interest-the States to be in
blicj, in all other respects having exclusive p
rer concerned their separate interests." Bi
ued, it was not to be expected that die
bwex could be defined with such a degree of
1 doubt and controversy would forever be pr
language," he asserted, "cannot make niperleet accuracy, and il we resort to the r
amenl for its construction, we enter a slill h
isputation."
t-
5
o
o
PI
Thereupon Key urged tbal the Federal (
"It w therefore," exclaimed Francis Scott Key,
free from encroachments by tbe States,
r
invite you this day lo remember not only the defeat of.]
ites be protected from Federal usurpation:
pation bul the establishment of Freedom —that we
only relieved from a yoke of bondage, but exalted
From the nature of institulions thus oi
| follows of necessity that Ihey must ia son
be exposed to two opposite dangers. The
:
kmgu — and that to the men whose deeds we this day cos
o
o
OB
�J-TIANCJS SCOTT KEY
JACKSON AND LIBERTY
a.s the tendency of power is ever encroaching, tbe
General Governmtot may become a vast consofidated
dominion, with iinmense resources and unlimited patronage, dangerous to the power of the States and the
rights of the people. The other is, that the States will
gradually weaken the powers of the General Government and dissolve tbe Union.
Tt 1 oot easy to sec hew these dangers cnuld W v
5
ae
been removed, or more effectually guarded against.
It must be left (as it is) lo tbe good sense of the people
to exercise their vigilance towards both. Experience
will determine (if it bas not already done so) which ia
the most to be apprehended and how the tendencies of
each are to be checked. On whichever side encrcachracnts may appear, let 2 double guard be set to arrest
its progress, and let
patiently wait the correcting
voice of the people, expressed as the Constitution pre-;
scribes. We must become a very different people from
those who devised this Constitution, ii, with the remedy in our hands and the dangers foreseen, they are
permitted to come upon uS-
I lived these hopes and fears — and most unworthy of
| our mheritance, degenerate sons of our Fathers shall
' we be, if we suffer it to perish in our hands.
306
The speaker now referred to the trials of the young
public. Fifty-five years bad passed since tbe Continental]
Congress proclaimed American independence. The Cons&]
tution bad been found to be our bulwark of freedom, and!
nothing leas than "degenerates*' were those citizens who fail*
to uphold it :
Hem tbe lawyer from Georgetown extolled America as
|prosperou6 courttry. With pride in hie native land and his
' aerican citkenship, Key declared that the United States
ttjoyed ibe respect of every Nation in tbe world.
s
to
©
Is there anything in the aspect of the present to
throw a gloom upon our joy t Ate any of the blessings
ol Providence withheld from us? Any o< the improvements of Art or Science denied co us? Is not the face
of our country rich in the beauties o£ Nature, the labors ol industry, the profusion of plenty? Where can
.. the patriot look without saying with glistening eye and
heart of rapture, "This is my oivn, my native land"?
And art not the kingdoms of the earth looking to us
with respect, a» the Nation that will "neither do nor
suffer wrong"? And are not the oppressed ol the world
Ihrooging to our happy shores, to behold and partake
our joy? Are not our people improving like their
'•• countrj? Growing not only in physical but intellettual
strength? Where is benevolent enterprise more active
and untiring? Where are the charities of life more
cherished, and where does Religion, the great promoter
of happiness, achieve more successfully her peateful
triumph ?
Step by slep the poet lawyer prepared his audience lor
May we not take hope and courage from the past?
More than half a century has gone over us. Many
trials have been endured. Times of peace, of war, of
general and local excitements have passed away — and
we are .safe. Oar scheme ol Government was looked
upon hy the world as an experiment. The friends of
Arbitrary Power predicted its failure, tbe friends of
Freedom regarded it with apprehensron. It has out-
CO
00
\eulogy of Andrew Jacksan.
If thus improved and imptoving in other things, are
we deteriorating in patriotism? Is our country leas
loved as it becomes more worthy of our love? This
is the preserving virtue of republics. This was oost
conspicuously the virtue of Ammcaiu: shimng not
to
CO
V
to
�JACKSON AND LIBERTY
o inherit an estate generally prize it
s than the ancestor who earned it; an/
it Freedom may learn to value it less i
o won it. Let us not indulge the unwo
t to us is lefl the privilege of enjoy ir
obligations of duty. We ire respon
st sacred of trusts — to our :oun:ry —
o our God. Let us not imagine that n.
us to do. This is never tbe tondition c
or a nation. Patriotism may still find
labours among us. There are vet (
e. . . . Abundant as are the bless:
there are evils to be ieen —not to be h
nourned over in hearties* tespondenc
:ed at, and met, and overcome, with
. who think nothing that concerns its
linesa above the power of such a co
pKsh. Many and great win he the t
hs of patriotism before oar whole lai
to the eye of Heaven what Heaven I
tneaiu of making it—a picture of hi
without a blot. The spirit of this
ss among us. Let us exercise and c?
present lime then is a time for joy; a
)assed over us and adds its proof to Ir
e it ol the stability of the blisjings of
?
^
£
o
J
*
"
^
^
g
"
£
^
£
»
^
£
£
1
3
3
^
> speaker now came to tha climax of
flourishes in this country, will the «
n apathy? His answer was an eloquei
i people to keep burning thefiretha
Jieir Fathers in 1776:
, my countrymen, we hold a rich dec
irsrfves and for all our brethren of r
fire of Liberty. If it becomes exting
ned land wiff cast a mournful shade
o
o
OO
�OTT KEY
JSS p«5sed an aci to build ai
Jackson vetoed it, thus chal-^
improvements advocated by
p and John C Calhoun. The
bat he was losing bis inHund indeed the President, by
!, did rob Calhoun oi his fam so much thai his enemies
utterly," Francis Scott Key
ting tbe Kentucky road bill,
in placing unlimited powers
i praising General Jackson
i at the expense of the Fed-
been said "The Union
t he who said it hath
it.
J to the old warrior in the
JACKSON AND LIBERTY
311
who inherit an estate generally prize it and enjoy it
less than the ancestor who earned it; and we who inherit Freedom may learn to value it less than the men
wlio won tt. Let us not indulge the unworthy thought
that to us is left the privilege of enjoyment, without
the obligations oi duty. We are responsible for the
most sacred ot trusts — to oar country —to the world
— to our God. Let us not imagine that nothing is left
for us to do. This is never the condition of an individual or a nation. Patriotism may stil! Rod its appropriate labours among us. There are yet things to be
done. . . . Abundant as are the blessings around
ns, there are evils lo be seen—not to be hid in despair
or mourned over in heartless despondency, but to be
icoked a:, and met, and overcome, with the spirit of
men who think nothing- that concerns its honour end
happiness above the power of such a country to .accompU&k Many und great will be the toils and triumphs of patriotism before our whole land shall present to the eye of Heaven what Heaven has given us
the means of making it —a picture ol human happiness without a blot The spirit of this virtue still
abides among ur. Let us enercise and cherish i t . . , .
The prestnt time then is a time for joy; another year
has passed over us and adds its proof to that of those
before it of the stability of the blessings of Freedom.
CO
2:
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ro
Tl
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to
o
to
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cn
—1
ro
1—1
r-
o
Tl
rd his conclusion. Urgent-
the preserving virtue
her, and selfish ambiive for action, and the
intrymeix. is the sole.
slate of unexampled
oris as to mdividuak
Dnsibiiities of such a
inge: give men their
in. Wc heroine lisL=c a-od sccaritv. Men
C
O
l-t
Cl
The speaker now came to tbe climax of bis oration. 11
[ Freedom flourishes in this country, will the rest of the world
••look on in apathy? His answer was an eloquent appeal to the
American people to keep burning the Are thai had been kindled by their Fathers in 1776:
m
No, my countrymen, we ho(d a rich deposit m trust
for ourselves and for all our brethren of mankind. It
is the fire of Liberty. If it becomes extinguished, our
darkened land will cast a mournful shadow over the
o
o
�312
FRANCIS SCOTT K E Y
JACKSON AND LIBERTY
nations —if it lives, its blaze vvill enlighten and glad«
den the whole earth. Already hath its pure flame
ascended, and kindled more than one noble strife. The
kingdoms of the earth are moved. The friends of man
are awakened, and the aim of the patriot is strong and
his heart steadfast, as he thinks of our glory . . . . We
hold too this deposit from God. who warmed the hearts
of our Fathers with a sense of their rights and their
duties, and heard their appeal—and we hold it for
Him, to sustain it for His great purpose in bestowing
it — the good of man.
Is it not a glorious privilege to be permitte<
labour in such a cause and for such a oonsummat
To see that in promoting the freedom and the ha
ness of the world, by sustaining our own, we v,
with the bounteous Giver of Good in effecting His |
poses of love to man; and that we work for Hir
for the glory ol His name and the welfare of His c
tion. He it is who rules the nations and reigns in
hearts of mea. May we look to Him that we i
understand and feel and fulfil! the high duties He
placed before us. And as the world advances to •
sure period of its destined blessedness, and as pec
after people put forth their strength and join the H
Family of Nations that love us as brethren and "U
war no more," shall not this, our land, and this,
day, be "freshly rernembered" f And that which is r
<
celebrated as the birthday of Freedom to a Xation
honoured as the birthday of Freedom to the World?
And so, convinced that the world is growing better, Fr
1
cis Scott Key had faith in the prophecy that men would
their words into plowshares and tbeir spears into prvu
hooks. He prophesied that tbe world would establish a "]
family of Nations"abound together by lore; not by lawi
by armaments^ to make Isaiah's dream come true:
In the crowd that had gathered in the rotunda ther
However darkly we may speculate upon the future
destiny of nations, we have a light shining on distant
days which cannot mislead ws— the holy light of
prophecy. This teds us of the'coming of a brighter day
than has ever shone upon a fallen world—a day when "i
man will hnd no foe in man — when "nations will (earn .
war no more" —but live together in love as memben|
of one great family upon earth under the care of tht.-S
common Father of us all. There are signs in tbe times
in which we live, which indicate the dawning of chat
day of brightness.
1
K
O
5
ro
o
ro
u
to
Ul
-~l
ro
u
g
[lew, if any, of the followers of Henry Clay. Indeed, Mr.
friends considered the Fourth of July celebration as a «
O
political trick'-'a scheme to promote the candidacy ol
HH
fident Jackson far reelection. As & matter of fact, the Ns
epublicans had arranged for a Fourth of July celebrat
ir own, entirely apart from that arranged by Mayo
ess and his committee. Duff Green, no longer a iru
Jackson, revealed that the Democrats had placed the ar.
ments for the Fourth of July celebration in tbe hand:
•"Jackson committee" ; that tbe ceremoniea were partisa
In an eloquent conchmau Key pictured [he gloric
OO
^patriotic; and tliat the frienda of Mr. Clay bad "no i
privilege that ia his who engages in the cause of tntemat
but to celebrate it by themselves." Accordingly, at thr
peace:
Key was delivering his oration in the Capitol, Philip Rt
o
�310
FRANCIS SCOTT K E Y
improvements. In 1830 Congress passed an act lo build a
highway in Kentucky. President Jackson vetoed it, thus challenging the principle oi internal improvements advocated hy
John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. The
veto indicated tn Mr. Calhoun that he was losing his influence in tbe Democratic party; and indeed the President, by
his attitude on the Kentucky road, did rob Calhoun of his favorite policies and 'Veakened him so much that his enemies
dared to proceed to destroy him utterly." Francis Scotl Key
commended the President for vetoing the Kentucky road bill.
He saw the grave danger that lay in placing unlimited powerj
in the hands of the President. In praising General Jackson
for curbing internal improvements at the expense of the Federal Government he declared:
Let us remember .that it has been said "The Union
must be preserved"—and that he who said it hath
already done much to maintain it.
Having paid a glowing tribute to the old warrior in tha
White House, Key now moved toward his conclusion. Urgently he appealed for patriotism:
I have said thai patriotism is the preserving virtue
of republics. Let this virtue wither, and selfish ambition aasume its place as the motive for action, and the
Republic is lost Here, my countrymen, h the sole,
ground of danger. We are in a state of unexampled
national prosperity, and to nations is to individuals
great are the hazards and responsibilities of such a
state. Times of difficulty and danger give men their
virtues, and provt and exalt them. We become Uitless and luxurious in times of ease and security. Hen
JACKSON AND LIBERTY
who inherit an estate generally prize it
less than the ancestor who earned it; anr
herit Freedom may learn to va'.ue it less l
who won it. Let us not indulge the unwo
that to us is left the privilege of enjoy ir
the obligations of duty. We are respon
most sacred of trusts— to our :ountry —
—to our God. Let us not imagne that n
=
for us to do. This is never the tondition c
ual or a nation. Patriotism may still find
ate labours among us. There are yet (
done, . . . Abundant as are the bless:
ua, there are evils to be seen — not to be h
•r mourned over in heartless cespondenc
looked at, and met, and overcome, with
men who think nothing that concerns its
happiness above the power of such a co
complish. Many and great wiD be the t
umphs of patriotism before our whole lai
sent to the eye of Heaven what Heaven 1
the means of making it — a picture of hi
ness without a blot. The spirit of this
abides among us. Let us exercise and cf
The present time then is a time for joy; a
has passed over us and adds Its proof to t;
before it of the stability of the bhssings of
OO
O
o
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5
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o
ro
w
to
Ul
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ifc.
r-
o
Tl
HH
O
M
The speaker now came to the climax of
iFreedomflourishesin this country, will the «
look on in apathy? His answer was an eloquei
nerican people to keep burning the fire tha
|dled by their Fathers in 1776:
No, my countrymen, wc hold a rich cct
for ourselves and for all our brethren of r
is the fire of Liberty. If it becomes exting
darkened land will cast a mournful shade
�306
FRANCIS SCOTT K E Y
us the tendency
power is ever encroaching, the
General Government may become a vast consolidated
dominion, with immense resources and unlimited patronage, dangerous to the power of the States and the
rights of the people. The other is, that the States will
gradually weaken the powers of the General Governmeni and dissolve the Union.
Tt is not easy to see how these clangers canld have
been removed, or more effectually guarded agaitist.
Tt must be left (as it is) to the good sense of the people
to exercise their vigilance towards both. Experience
wilt dctennine (if it has not already done so) which ia
ihe most to be apprehended and hew the tendencies of
each arc to be checked. On whichever side encrcachmcnts may appear, let 2 double guard be set to arrest
its progress, and let ui patien;ly- wait the correcting
voice of the people, txpressed as the Constitution prescribes. We must become a very different people from
those who devised this Constitution, it, with the remedy in our hands and the daogerc foreseen, they are
permitted lo come upon us.
The speaker now referred to tke trials of the young
public. Fifty-five years had passed since the Continental^
Congress proclaimed American independence, Hie Constb'l
tution had been found to be our bulwark of freedom,
nothing lew than "degenerates" were those citizens who fail
to uphold if:
JACKSON AND LIBERTY
307
I lived these hopes and fears—and most unworthy of
our inheritance, degenerate sons of our Fathers shall
P we be, if we suffer it to perish in our hands.
oo
Herd the lawyer from Georgetown extolled America as
prosperous conAlry. With pride in his native land and his
Lerican citizenship, Key declared that the Unikd States
ijoyed the respect of every Nation in the world.
o
oo
s
O
Is there anything in the aspect of the present to
throw a gloom upon our joy? Are any ot the blessings
of Providence withheld from us? Any oi the improvements of Art or Science denied to us? Is not the face
of our country rich in the beauties o£ Xature, the labors ol industry, the profusion of plenty? Where can
I, • the patriot look without saying with glistening eye and
heart oi rapture, "This is my own, my native land"?
And are not the kingdoms of the earth looking :o us
with respect, as the Na.tion that wiU "neither do nor
suffer wrong"? And are not the oppressed of the world
thronging to our happy shores, to behold and partake
our joy? Are not our people improving like :heir
countrj'? Growing not only in physical but intellectual
strength? Where is benevolent enterprise more active
and untiring? Where are the charities ol life more
cherished, and where does Religion, the great promoter
of happiness, achieve more successfully her peaceful
triumph ?
Step by step the poet lawyer prepared his audience for
May we not take hope and courage from the past?
More than half a century has gone over us. Many
trials have been endured. Times of peace, of war, of
general and local excitements have passed away — and
we are safe. Our scheme of Government was looked
upon by the world as an experiment. Th* friends of
Arbitmy Power predicted its failure, the friends of
Freedom regarded it with apprehension. It has out-
CD
(eulogy of Andrew Jackson.
If thus improved and improving in other things, are
we deteriorating in patriotism? Is our country less
loved as it becomes more worthy of our love? This
is the preserving virtue of republics. This was aost
conapkuously the virtue of Americans: shmmg not
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�304
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY
XACKSOIV AND LIBERTY
ment of a gfovernment which should rest upon no other
foundation than the will of the people.
jonte, we are indebted for the wisdom which de
fwred to the land they had delivered the blessi
fConstitmion. This was the crown of their labour!
The orator explained bow the wisdom of the
of the Continental Congress was manifested in American
[crown of our rejoicing."
tor)'. "It was ihe avowal of these principles and this pui
At this point the oralor alked to the difficu
fronted the framers of tbe Const ilution in 1787
"common difficulliea tliat presented ihemst
i, "when the principles they had proclaim
ought into a system, adapted to the situatior
e« of tbe community for which it was irten
to Francia Scott Key, these problems
olved. "Tbe people," be explained, "were to f<
vemment of limited and defined powers, »
re the common interest-the States to be in
publics, in all other respects having exclusive p
rer concerned their separate interestg." Bi
jfrrtinued, it wa» not to be expecled that the
power could be defined with such a degree of
pi doubt and controversy would forever be pr
i language/' be asserted, "cannot make ni.
perfect accuracy, and if we resort to the F
wnent for its construction, we entsr a still b:
itaputation."
he maintained, "that sanctified their Caiue, justified
appeal to Heaven, and gave it its success." In the Con
Cause the Nation was welded together. The people aavr I
"their dearest rights were to be sustatned or lost for
Thus did tbe Colonies become a Nation of Patriots.
19
friends of Civil Liberty were awakened. Tbey saw that
our fields was to be decided the fate of Nations, the destix
Man. The benevolent of every land gave us their aymp
and prayera, some gave us — a gift never to be forgo
themselveB." And so he agreed with the poet (bat
Cause ia seldom uneuccessful:
Power usurp'd
Is weakness when oppor'd: conscious of wrong;
Tis pusillanimous and prone to flight.
Bui men that once conceive the glowing thought
Of Freedom, in that hope itself possess
All that the contest calls for—spirit, strength,
The scorn of danger and united hearts:
The surest presage of the good they seek.
I
"Il is therefore," exclaimed Francia Scott Key,
T
invite you this day to remember not only the defeat of I
t-
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Hiereupon Key urged that ihe Federal (
free from encroachments by tbe States,
ates be protected from Federal osirpation:
pation but (he establishment of Freedom —that we
only relieved from a yoke of bondage, but exalted,
kings — and that to tbe men whose deeds we this day coc
From jhe nature of institutioos thus oi
I'follows of necessity that they must in son
j be exposed to two opposite dangers. The
o
o
en
�} SCOTT KEY
JACKSON AND L I B E R T Y
ortion of the earih as one
vc."
h called for thanksgiving wasj
ic grip of Great Britain. "B.t
:cn all, bad nothing further J
1 happiness of a delivered
ri-lived joy. Too often havtfj
when successful, only in a
n
^
up by God for the special purpose of establishing diis
blic:
it human happiness," he decla
ind, however finri«'iied by Nara
303
That a people could govern themselves — a penple
neither horn nor Urud to such a business — would
never have be«n the opinion of men who took their
: views from the learning of that day. which had been
. made the pensioned advocate of power. In those days,
; if a. wrilcr was inclined to defend popular governmenxs,
; there were not many parts of the world where it could
:be done with safety; while the doctrines that de• nounced such goverftmenls had hosts of retainers,
• everywhere maintained and richly rewarded.... Under such circumstances, and in such times, no ordinary
fmen ^ould have put forth the Declaration of American
• Independttnce. And the men who made this fearless
! appeal to God and the world, in behalf of the lonju
.violated and almost forgotten riphts of mankind, were
no ordinary «ncn. They were fitted by Providence to
tho exigency to which they were called. There were
men of learning amung them, but they were also men
of wisdom. There were many others summoned from
their farms and workshops, to whom polities was. in a.
great measure, a new study. But they brought to it
Strong mirids and devoted hearts, and, bowing to no
human authority, determined to workout its questions
for fhemselve*. They were not ignorant of man and
the affairs of the world, and they knew perfectly the
men they represented and the things around them.
With such qualification? it ia not wonderful that they
mastered their subject, and became legislators and
stateamen, such as the world has rarely witnessed.
From such men, no evil of sophistry could hide tbe
truth ; and no fear of man could deter them from maintaining it, Hence we see. in the declaration of theiipurposc that bold and eloquent avowal of the great
principles of Truth and Freedom to which we have
been listening. Hence they put at issue, in the holy
strife upon which they were entering, the establi*h-
•1
?
ic new mixrulft has started
of a period of rovolution, '!
;
w«9 overthrown."
tpftarad in thi* country. At the
e patriot leaders looked al
/cry moment when they were d
ih Crown, they declared not '&
wn" but also "what ihey me
siiccwdetl. "fTad their uu
om or courage, tliRy would ^
i far inferior projwt. They
:ance, blindly leaving it to oil
i f-ourse
^ »la rcswlts.*'
! to some other Power, in cot
cy might have ftstahlishad H.J
of Home favored family to|
schemes "very respectable ant
t tlie Founding Fathers had
soo®
3DIJJ0 KMNNEmiK
S6C ZOZ XVi io:ST N W 86/ZT/TO
O
m
i
�FRANC S SCOTT KEY
LIFE AND TIMES
CD
OO
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o
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BY
o
5
EDWARD S. DELAPLAINE
ro
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Autfior oi
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VI
The Life of Thomas Johnson
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ILLUSTRATED
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BIOGRAPffV' PRESS
38 Ualsey S«reet Brooklyn
;
XEW YORK
1937
o
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�JACKSON AND LIBERTY
OTT KEY
ss passed an act -to build a
Jackson vetoed ;t, thus cha]-<
improvements advocated by
i and John C. Calhoun. The
hat be was losing his influn f indeed the President, by
d
I, did rob Calhoun of his fain so much that his enemies
utterly." Francis Scotl Key
ling the Kentucky road bill,
in placing unlimited powers
i praising Ceraral Jackson
s at the expense of the Fed-
i been said "The Union
,t be who said it bath
it.
e to tbe old warrior in the
311
who inherit an estate generally prize it and enjoy it
less than the ancestor who earned it; and we who inherit Freedom may learn to value it less than the men
who won it. Let us net indulge the unworthy thought
that to us is left the privilege of enjoyment, without
\ the obligations oi duty. We are responsible for the
most sacred oi trusts — to our country — to the world
— to our God. Let us not imagine that nothing is left
for us to do. This is never Ihe condition of an individual or a nation. Patriotism may stil!findits appropriate labours among us. There are yet things to be
done. . . . Abundant as are the blessings around
us, there are evils lo be seen — not to be hid in despair
or mourned over in heartless despondency, but to be
looked a.', and met, and overcome, with the spirit oi
men who think nothing that concerns its honour end
happiness above the power of such * country to .accomplish. Many and great will be tbe toils and triumphs of patriotism before our whole land shall present to the eye of Heaven what HcaTen has given us
the means of making it — a picture of human happiness without a blot, The spirit of this virtue still
abide* among us. Let us exercise and cherish it
The present time then is a lime for joy: another year
has passed over us and adds its proof to that of those
before ifc of the stability of the blessings of Freedom.
^rd his conclnsion. UrgentThe speaker now came to the climax of his oration. If
CO
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; Freedomflourishesin this country, will the rest of the world
i the preserving virtue
ther, and selfish ambiiivt for ac'iion, and the
imirymen, is the sole,
i siate of unexampled
ions as to individuals
lonsibilities or such a
lange: give men their
cm. We become lisl\*c aad security. Men
|:)ook on in apathy? His answer was an eloque&t appeal to tbe
American people to keep burning the fire thai had been kindled by Ibeir Fathers in 1776:
r
\ o, my countrymen, ive hold a rich depoiit in trust
t v ourselves and for all our brethren of mankind. It
<r
is the f/re of Liberty. H it becomes extinguished, our
darkened ".and will cast a mournlul shadow over the
o
�T H E WHITE H O U S E
WAS H I N G T O N
OFFICE OF THE MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
Phone:(202)395-7200
Fax: (202) 395-7234
TO:
S^rWi^A',,,
fn,r
PHONE:
FAX:
FROM:
Ellen McCulloch-Lovell,
Deputy Assistant to the President and
Advisor to the First Lady on the MiUennium
DATE:
Number of pages (including cover):
^
MESSAGE:
THE WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
708 Jackson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20503
The information contained in this facsimile is CONFIDENTIAL and intended for the recipient
ONLY. Please call if there are any problems with this transmission.
TOO®
HDIJJO
wniNNaniw
tZZL Sec Z Z YVi 90:ST N0K 86/ST/TO
O
�F A X TRANSMISSION
NATFONAL MUSEUM OP AMEHJCAIVHISTOKKY
Oirno: or CAPH-AI. PROGUAMS
202/3572501
r^- 202/357-3774
To:
dinger Cleary
Date:
January 12, 1998
Fax #:
202/395-7234
Pages:
8, including this cover sUccL
From;
Carol Frost
Subject:
F,S. Key's inspiralional words
COMMENTS:
Here are some excerpts from a speech Francis Scotl Key madefromthe Capitol Rotunda on July
4, 1831, on "Tlie Blessings of Liberty." I haven't included the whole thing - I'vt omitted Ihe
pages that were wrapped up with partisan issues of Ihe day, or with religious imagery, which
didn't seem appropriate.
The page wilh the most useful quotations, in my opinion, is 311, and I've asterisked those
passages. I'he rest is more or Ices interesting,, and since I'm not sure what the speech-writers are
interested in, they may want to scan the rest.
I'll keep looking; iranythiug belter comes to hand, I'll lax it over to you.
Let me know if any of this winds up in the speech! Thanks.
^5 7- -^c?
zoo®
HDIJiO Rill M S I ! IK
tCZL Sec Z Z XVJ 90:ST H K 86/ZT/T0
O
O
�01/12/98 M N 15:10 FAX 202 395 7234
O
MILLENNIUM OFFICE
6,11 [y«.
TO:
@010
PHONE:
FAX
FROM:
X
EUenMcCuUoch-Lovell,
Deputy Assistant to. the President and
Advisor to the First Lady oa the MiUeomum
Other
DATE:
Number of pages {including cover): Z
MESSAGE:
THE WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM PROGRAM
708 Jackson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20503
The infonnation contained in this facsimile is CONFIDENTIAL and intendedforthe recipient
ONLY. Please call if there are any problems with this transmission.
DM
0
00.00
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6e9T9SZSl9T6
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*** laoJHH xx H a a * *
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*******************
XX
�March 1994
STD REPT NO: NCES 94-104
LCCN NUMBER: 94-194751
BOOKS CATALOG ( ALL DATES )
Personal Author Search For: S m i t h , F r a n c i s
S c o t t Key,
1872Itern 3 o f 4
CALL NUMBER
OTHER COPY
AUTHOR
TITLE
PUBLISHED
DESCRIPTION
PS2168 .54 5
Copy 2 .
S m i t h , F r a n c i s S c o t t Key, 1872F r a n c i s S c o t t Key,
W a s h i n g t o n , D.C., K e y - S m i t h and company [ c l 9 1 l j
104 p . 4 p i . , 3 p o r t . ( i n c 1 . f r o n t . ) f a c s i m . 20 cm.
SUBJECT: Key, F r a n c i s , S c o t t , 1780-184 3
LCCN NUMBER: 11-7
226
�34-2G088
ITEM 79 OF 87 IN SET 17
(BKS3)
Brooke, John T.
A sketch of the character of the late Francis Scott Key, esq., in a
discourse, delivered in Christ church. Cincinnati, on the 29th of January,
1843,
Cincinnati, Wilson & Drake, 1843. 15 p. 22 cm.
LC CALL N M E : PS2168 .B7
UBR
SUBJECTS:
Key, Francis Scott, 1780-1843.
LCCN: 34-20088
READY:
�37-23118
ITEM 75 O 87 IN SET 17
F
(BKS3)
Delaplaine, Edward Schley, 1893Francis Scott Key, l i f e and times,
Brooklyn, N Y , Biography press, 1937.
..
xiv p., 1 1., 506 p. front., plates, ports., facsim. 25 cm.
L CALL N M E : PS2168 . 4
C
UBR
D
O H R L COPIES: Copy 2.
TE C
SUBJECTS:
Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843.
LCCN: 37-23118
READY:
�47-28996
ITEM 46 O 87 IN SET 17
F
"Noel, Francis Regis, 1891Preservation of the residence of Francis Scott Key.
p. i l l u s . 23 cm.
LC CALL N M E : PS2168 .N6
UBR
SUBJECTS:
Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843.
LCCN: 47-28996
READY:
(BKS3)
{Washington, 1947} 16
�64-6732
ITEM 28 O 87 IN SET 17
F
(BKS3)
Stein, Charles Francis, 1900Our national anthem: the Star-Spangled Banner, i t s history and significance,
Baltimore, Wyman Park Federal Savings & Loan Association, 1964. 31 {1} p.
i l l u s . , facsim., map, ports. 24 cm.
L CALL N M E : PS2167.S73 S7
C
UBR
O H R L COPIES: Copy 2.
TE C
SUBJECTS:
Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843. The Star-Spangled Banner.
LCCN: 64-6732
READY:
�95-60983
ITEM 2 O 87 IN SET 17
F
Meyer, Sam.
Paradoxes of fame : the Francis Scott Key story / S m Meyer.
a
Annapolis : Eastwind Pub., C1995. xx, 102 p. : i l l . ; 24 cm.
LC CALL N M E : PS2168 . 4 1995
UBR
M9
SUBJECTS:
Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843--Biography.
Star-spangled banner (Song)
Poets, American--19th century--Biography.
Patriotic poetry, American--Authorship.
United States--Hi story--War of 1812--Biography.
NOTES:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
G O . A E C D : n-us--EG RA OE
ISBN: 1885457065
P G 1 O 2. READY:
AE
F
(BKS3)
1st ed.
�BOOKS CATALOG ( A L L DATES)
P e r s o n a l A u t h o r S e a r c h For'- V e l y k y i , A t a n a s i i H r y h o r i i , 1918I t e m 1 o f 18
CALL NUMBER BX4711 .994 .E67 1956
TITLE: E p i s t o i a e r n e t r o p o l i t a r u r n K i o v i e n s i urn Cat h o i i c o r u r n ,
Raphaelis Korsak, A n t o n i i S i e i a v a , G a b r i e l i s Koienda
(1637-1674) / c o l l e g i t , a d n o t a t i o n i b u s i i l u s t r a v i t e t
i n t r o d u c t i o n e a u x i t A t h a n a s i u s G. W e l y k y j .
PUBLISHED Rornae : PP. B a s i i i a n i , 19 56..
v i i i , 366 p . : i l l . ; 25 cm.
DESCRIPTION
SUBJECT
Korsak, Rafai '1,
SUBJECT
S i e i a v a , A n t o n i u s , c a . 1583-1655?~-Correspondence .
SUBJECT
Kolienda, H a v r y i ' l ,
SUBJECT
C a t h o l i c Church--Byzantine r i t e ,
OTHER NAME
OTHER NAME:
OTHER NAME
OTHER NAME
SERIES
NOTE
LCCN NUMBER
1600?-1641?—Correspondence.
'1606-1674--Correspondence .
Ruthenian--Ukraine-
Cor r e s p o n d e n c e .
Kor sa k , Ra f a i ' l , 1600?-1641?
S i e i a v a , A n t o n i u s , c a . 1583-1655?
K o l i e n d a , H a v r y i '1 , 1606-1674 .
V e l y k y i , A t a n a s i i H r y h o r i i , 1918A n a l e c t a OSBM . S e r i e s I I , s e c t i o I I I , Documenta
Rornana E c c i e s i a e C a t h o i i c a e i n t e r r i s U c r a i n a e e t
B i e l a r u s j a e . E p i s t o i a e rnetropol i t a r u r n .
,
archiepiscoporurn , e t episcoporurn ; v o l . 2
I n c l u d e s b i b l i o g r a p h i c a l r e f e r e n c e s and i n d e x .
89-460694
BOOKS CATALOG ( ALL. DATES )
P e r s o n a l A u t h o r Search._.For?. Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t
Item 1 of 1
CALL NUMBER ML95 .K49
/REQUEST IN P e r f o r m I n g A r t s R e a d i n g / o o rn
R
/ OTHER COPY Second c o p y .
AUTHOR
[Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t ]
TITLE
[The S t a r SPa ng i egi^Banner
PUBLISHED
[n . p . , n. d .
ASCRIPTION J2 &flr- •
LCCN NUMBER u n k 8 4 - l ? l 1 4 8
�5P-
�BOOKS CATALOG ( ALL. DATES )
P e r s o n a l A u t h o r S e a r c h F o r : Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t , 1779-1843
I t e m 1 o f 41
CALL NUMBER:
AUTHOR:
TITLE:
PUBLISHED:
DESCRIPTION
ISBN NUMBER
LCCN NUMBER
PS2165 .Ag 1970
Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t , 1779-1843 .
Poems.
Upper S a d d l e R i v e r , N.J., L i t e r a t u r e
c18561
203 p. 23 cm.
0839810539
79-104503
House [1970
BOOKS CATALOG ( A L L DATES)
P e r s o n a l A u t h o r S e a r c h F o r : Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t , 1779-1843
I'terris 4 0 - 4 1 o f 4 1.
ITEMtt
40 . CALL
AC901 .M2 v o l . 6 , n o . 4 OTHER C O P I . . .
REQUEST I N :R a r e B o o k / S p e c i a l C o l j j ^ c f ^ i o n s R e a d i n g R. . .
AUTHOf
Key, F r a n c i s Scoy5<^T779-1843 .
TITLE ^ O r a t i o n d e l i y s - T e d b y F r a n c i s S . K e y , e s q . , i n t h e . . .
PUBLISHED
}31
[Washington, 1831]
ITEM#:
4 1 . CALL # : E4 4 8 ^ \ K 4 4 ( R a r e Bk C o l l )
REQUEST I N : S ^ r e B ^ k / S p e c i a 1 C o l l e c t i o n s R e a d i n g R . . ..
AUTHOR> Key , F r a ^ i s S c o t t , 1 7 7 9 - 1 8 4 3 .
T I T L E S S p e e c h o f F V S „ Key , b e f o r e t h e c o l o n i z a t i o n
/
PUBLISHED:
184'; [ W a s h i n g t o n ]
Alexander & Barnard,
conve . . .
printers [
�1 i t e r a t uve .
.
SUBJECT: P o e t s .
BOOKS CAT&UBaECffil;
T i t l e S e a r c h F o r : F r a n c i s S c o t t Key, poet and p a t r i o t
Item 1 o f 1
CALL NUMBER: PS2168 . P 3
AUTHOR: P a t t e r s o n , L i 1 1 i e .
TITLE: F r a n c i s S c o t t Key, p o e t and p a t r i o t . I l l u s t r a t e d by
V i c Dowd .
PUBLISHED Champaign, 1 1 1 . , G a r r a r d Pub. Co. [1.963]
DESCRIPTION 80 P. i 1 l u s . 23 cm .
SUBJECT
Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t ,
1i t e r a t u r e .
1779-1843—Biography—Juvenile
SUBJECT:
Key,
Francis Scott,
1779-1.843.
SUBJECT:
S t a r - s p a n g l e d banner
( Song ) - - J u v e n i 1 e
.
literature.
SUBJECT
P o e t s , Amer i c a n — 1 9 t h
century—Biography—Juvenile
1i t e r a t u r e .
SUBJECT
P a t r i o t i c p o e t r y, Amer i ca n — A u t hor s h i p — J u v e n i 1 e
1 iterature.
SUBJECT: P o e t s .
SUBJECT
U n i t e d S t a t e s - - H i s t o r y - - LI a r o f 1 8 1 2 — B i o g r a p h y - Juvenile l i t e r a t u r e .
OTHER NAME Dowd , V i c t o r .
SERIES A D i s c o v e r y boo k
NOTE A b i o g r a p h y o f t h e W a s h i n g t o n l a w y e r and amateur
v e r s e w v i t e r who composed t h e words o f "The
S t a v - S p a n g i e d Banner" d u r i n g t h e War o f 1 8 1 2 .
LCCN NUMBER: 63-9220 L/AC r 9 6 5
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T i t l e S e a r c h F o r : Modern c u l t u r e
Item 2 o f
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OTHER COPY
Tl'
PUBLISHE
DESCRIPTION"
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OTHER NAMEOTHER NAME
OTHER TITLE
LCCN NUMBER
A£2 . M6
2d s e t .
Moder n
t u r e , a magazine o f knowledge
Chicag
The Werner company; [ e t c . , e t c . .
14 v
i l l u s . 25-27 cm.
Edward C o r n e l i u s , 1834- e d .
Graeme Mercer „ 1839- e d .
William W
un
-645
ii"sity
ed .
1895-190;
(XO^
league .
BOOKS CATALOG ( A L L DATES)
T i t l e S e a r c h F o r : F r a n c i s Scott. Key, l i f e
and times
Item
CALL NUMBER:
OTHER COPY:
AUTHOR:
TITLE:
PUBLISHED:
DESCRIPTION:
PS2168 .DA
Copy 2 .
D e l a p l a i n e , Edward S c h l e y , 1893F r a n c i s S c o t t Key, l i f e and t i m e s ,
B r o o k l y n . N.Y., B i o g r a p h y p r e s s , 1.937.
x i v P., 1 1 . , 506 p. f r o n t . , p l a t e s , p o r t s .
25 cm .
1 of 1
f a c s i rn .
SUBJECT: Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t , 1779-1843.
LCCN NUMBER: 37-23118
BOOKS CATALOG ( A L L DATES )
T i t l e S e a r c h F o r : F r a n c i s S c o t t Key, p o e t
and p a t r i o t
Item
1 of1
CALL NUMBER: PS2168 .P3
AUTHOR : PatteTSon-, L i 11 i e .
TITLE: F r a n c i s S c o t t Key, p o e t and p a t r i o t . I l l u s t r a t e d by
V i c Dowd.
PUBLISHED: Champaign, 1 1 1 . , G a r r a r d Pub. Co. [1963.1
DESCRIPTION: 80 p. i l l u s . 23 cm.
SUBJECT: Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t , 1 7 7 9 - 1 8 4 3 — B i o g r a p h y — J u v e n i l e
1 i terature.
Key, F r a n c i s S c o t t , 1779-1843.
SUBJECT:
1
SUBJECT: S t a r - s p a n g 1 e d b a n n e r ( S o n g ) - - J u v e n i. . e 1 i t e r a. t u r e .
SUBJECT: Poe t s , Amer i ca n- -191. h cen tu. r y - -B i og v ap hy
Ju ven i 1 e
1 i terature.
SUBJECT: P a t r i o t i c p o e t r y ,
American--Authorship--Juveniie
�//^
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Star-Spangled Banner and the War of
1812
After the American Revolution ended in victory at
Yorktown in 1 7 8 1 , a second war w i t h Great Britain broke
out in 1812 over impressment, trade issues, and territorial
expansion. The United States w o n early victories in the
Atlantic and on Lake Erie, but by 1 8 1 4 the British
blockade of the American coast kept American merchant
vessels and warships confined in their home ports.
With the defeat of the French emperor Napoleon's armies
in Europe, Great Britain turned its full attention to ending
U.S. forays into Canada. Admiral Alexander Cochrane, a
British naval commander, was ordered to attack U.S.
coastal areas, and Gen. Robert Ross prepared to capture
t o w n s along the East Coast to create diversions while
British army forces attacked along the northern boundaries
of the United States.
Ross and Cochrane knew that an attack on Washington,
D . C , would deal a severe blow to American pride. Late in the summer of 1 8 1 4 , British soldiers and
sailors landed at Benedict, Maryland. They marched towards Washington, defeated an American
force at the Battle of Bladensburg, and occupied the nation's capital on August 2 4 .
The British invaders burned the President's House and other public buildings before marching back
to their ships. During their departure they arrested Dr. William Beanes of Upper Marlboro, said to
be responsible for the arrest of British stragglers and deserters during the campaign, and imprisoned
him on a British warship in the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Potomac.
Friends of Dr. Beanes asked Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer, and John S. Skinner of
Baltimore to go to the British commander and secure the release of the physician. They agreed to
try. Reaching the British squadron on Sept. 7, they conferred with General Ross, w h o promised to
release Dr. Beanes. The attack on Baltimore was about to begin.
Meanwhile, another British naval force had sailed up the Potomac River and forced the city of
Alexandria to surrender. With a load of captured supplies, the ships headed back into the Atlantic.
Cochrane and Ross now made plans to attack Baltimore, whose extensive fortifications protected
the city from land-based assaults. Guarding the entrance to the city by water was Fort McHenry,
located on a narrow peninsula on the Patapsco River. Its commander was U.S. Army Maj. George
�Armistead.
When the British fleet appeared off North Point on Sunday, September 1 1 , 1 8 1 4 , alarms sounded
and local militia joined army and navy forces to defend Baltimore. British soldiers and sailors under
General Ross landed at North Point without resistance and advanced toward Baltimore. A small
force of 2 5 0 Maryland volunteers marched out to meet the invaders. In the ensuing fight, an
American sharpshooter killed General Ross. The command passed to Col. Arthur Brooke, w h o
continued to move the troops toward the city. When Colonel Brooke saw the fortifications that
protected the city, he tried unsuccessfully to flank the line.
Meanwhile sixteen vessels of the British Squadron advanced toward Fort McHenry. Cannon and
mortar fire was exchanged between the fort and the ships, and the ships retreated back beyond the
range of the fort's guns and formed an arc about 2-3/4 miles below the fort on the morning of
September 13. The Americans sank ships to block the North West branch of the Patapsco River,
which gave direct access to Baltimore.
A heavy rain was falling at 2:00 p.m. on September 13. Meeting w i t h his officers, Colonel Brooke
proposed an attack on American land defenses at 2 a.m. Brooke asked that British ships bombard
Fort McHenry, silence it, advance to Baltimore, and then turn the flank of the American line. Then
army troops would attack the American positions on the eastern side of the city. But Cochrane told
him that the North West branch was so shallow that only the lightest vessels could approach
Baltimore and these would be blocked by the ships that were sunk in the channel. Beyond attacking
and silencing Fort McHenry, the navy could offer little in the way of assistance to the army.
Colonel Brooke reconsidered. Attacking the fortifications would result in heavy casualties. Even if
the army captured the city, it did not have wagons or facilities for carrying away captured material.
The Americans could replace their losses, but the British could not. Other operations on the
American coast were planned, including the capture of New Orleans, and the British would need
every man they could muster for future battles. Brooke therefore decided not to attack Baltimore.
He sent word to Admiral Cochrane that the army would begin to withdraw from its positions and
move back to the ships the following morning.
Meanwhile Admiral Cochrane did what he could to help the army. About 2 p.m. on Tuesday,
September 13, he began a bombardment of Fort McHenry that continued through the early hours of
the next morning. Bomb ships fired 13-inch cast-iron high-trajectory exploding shells, each weighing
190 pounds, over a distance of t w o miles. These fell upon the harbor batteries and inside the fort.
One exploded on a 24-pound cannon, killing a lieutenant and four men. The pouring rain had
prevented them from seeing the approach of the shell. No sooner was the damage cleared away
than another shell killed a sergeant. A third shell struck the fort's powder magazine, but did not
explode.
The British shells, the pouring rain, and the fact that the British ships were beyond the range of the
fort's cannons limited the response from Fort McHenry's defenders. Because the fort's guns fired
only intermittently, the British assumed they had been silenced. They moved three of their bomb
ships up closer to the fort. As soon as they were in position, Major Armistead advanced to the fort's
parapet and ordered his guns to open fire. The Americans scored several hits, and the British ships
retreated beyond the range of their guns. Early on September 14, Admiral Cochrane also launched a
diversionary attack on Fort Covington, a battery of 18-pound guns west of Fort McHenry. After
t w o hours of fire from the harbor defenses, the British ended the attack.
Just before d a w n on September 14, the rain stopped. With the message from Colonel Brooke in
hand—and as soon as it was light enough to signal his ships—Admiral Cochrane ordered the end of
the bombardment at 7:30 a.m. By 9 a.m. the last of the attacking British force was headed back
d o w n the Patapsco.
�With the departure of the British fleet, Major Armistead lowered the storm flag displayed on
fort's flagpole throughout the rainy night of the bombardment, and replaced it w i t h a larger,
United States flag. Francis Scott Key, detained with companions aboard a flag of truce ship
miles away, saw the large flag flying over the fort and knew at once that Fort McHenry had
surrendered. Inspired by the sight, he took a letter from his pocket and began to compose a
on the back of it.
the
dry
eight
not
poem
The Star-Spangled Banner
The original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words of
our national anthem, today hangs inside the Mall entrance to the National Museum of American
History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Birth of a National Anthem
The truce ship carrying Francis Scott Key, Dr. William Beanes, and John S. Skinner, the agent in
charge of negotiations w i t h the British for prisoner exchanges, reached Baltimore at twilight on
Friday, September 16, and the Americans were released. Key took a room in the Indian Queen
Hotel and revised the draft of the poem he had written and made additions. The next day he showed
it to his brother-in-law, Capt. Joseph Nicholson, who urged that it be published. Copies were
printed on handbills at a local newspaper office over the weekend and were distributed to everyone
at the fort. Called originally, "The Defense of Fort McHenry," the title soon was changed to "The
Star-Spangled Banner." The poem was set to the music of a popular English song, "To Anacreon in
Heaven." Key used this melody in an earlier musical effort, and it may have been in his mind when he
wrote about the flag over the fort.
The first public performance of the words and music together took place at the Holliday Street
Theatre in Baltimore on October 19, 1814. A Mr. Hardinge sang the song after a performance of
the play, Count Benyowsky. Although it gradually became popular as a patriotic air, the
"Star-Spangled Banner" did not become our national anthem until 1 9 3 1 , when it was so designated
by an Act of Congress.
Sewing the Star-Spangled Banner
Mrs. Mary Pickersgill of Baltimore, a maker of ship's banners and flags, manufactured the
Star-Spangled Banner w i t h assistance from her daughter, Mrs. Caroline Purdy. Mrs. Pickersgill did
the work on contract w i t h the U.S. government for the sum of $ 4 0 5 . 9 0 . Made of first-quality
long-fibered English wool bunting (for this type of cloth was not produced in America at that early
date), the flag was begun in July 1813 and completed on August 19. It was raised at Fort McHenry
soon after.
The Star-Spangled Banner and the Smithsonian
In 1815 the flag was presented to Major Armistead, as was the custom of the day, w h e n he retired
from the fort. He bequeathed it to his daughter, Mrs. William Stuart Appleton, w h o had been born
at Fort McHenry, and she in turn left the flag to her son, Eben Appleton. In 1907 Mr. Appleton lent
the flag to the United States National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1912 he converted
the loan to a gift w i t h the stipulation that it never be removed for any reason, so that "any American
citizen w h o visits the museum w i t h the expectation of seeing the flag (may) be sure of finding it in its
accustomed place."
A Large Flag
�Originally the flag measured 30 x 42 feet and flew from a flagpole about 9 0 feet high. The stars
measure 26 inches from point to point. Although this may seem an unusually large flag, the modern
United States Army garrison flag is almost as large, measuring 20 by 38 feet. Today the
Star-Spangled Banner's dimensions are 30 by 34 feet. The missing portions apparently were cut off
for souvenirs many years before it came to the Smithsonian. Although it is possible that the flag was
struck by mortar fire as the British ships were retiring, the holes were probably not made that w a y .
The removal of pieces for souvenirs seems more plausible.
Fifteen Stars and Stripes
The flag has 15 stars and 15 stripes as provided for by the Act of Congress approved January 13,
1 7 9 4 . Passage of the Act of Congress of April 4 , 1 8 1 8 , reduced the number of stripes to 1 3 and
provided for one star for each s t a t e - a new star to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following
the admission of each new state. The Star-Spangled Banner is one of the very f e w 15-star, 15-stripe
flags in existence.
Preserving the Flag
When the Star-Spangled Banner came to the United States National Museum on loan in 1 9 0 7 , it
was a series of tattered fragments rather loosely attached to a backing of heavy canvas placed there,
according to the donor, by Rear A d m . George Preble at the Boston Navy Yard many years before.
In 1 9 1 4 , after Mr. Appleton had donated the flag to the Museum, a more complete job of
preservation was begun. The flag was placed on a backing of heavy unbleached Irish linen and the
fragments were anchored by open buttonhole stitches, about 1/2 inch in length, interlocked
horizontally and vertically. With the original fabric thus attached to the backing, the t w o layers could
be hung w i t h o u t strain on the flag itself by means of short tapes sewn to the linen backing.
The flag was displayed in a specially designed and constructed case in the Museum's Arts and
Industries Building. In 1 9 2 3 , when the Flag Code was adopted, one provision specified that when
the National Color was displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union (or canton
containing the stars) should be uppermost and to the flag's o w n right, on the heraldic side of honor
(i.e., to the observer's left). Since the flag had been mounted and placed on exhibit nine years earlier
in a case especially constructed for it, rehanging the flag w i t h the union in the correct position was
not considered feasible. Today, however, it hangs as it should.
The Star-Spangled Banner Today
For the flag's display in the National Museum of American History, it was necessary to ensure that
no strain whatever would be placed on the frail fabric. Because of the excellent condition of the
1 9 1 4 backing, the flag was not remounted. Linen tapes, woven to the exact specifications of the
backing, were attached to the reverse of the backing every 12 inches and running its entire length.
The flag could then be hung from the tapes in the correct position. This proved to be a most exacting
task, for the stitches attaching the tapes had to be firmly anchored in the linen backing and at the
same time not enclose any of the flag fabric.
Today, the Star-Spangled Banner hangs against a specially designed metal grid, protected by the
most modern temperature and humidity controls and kept free of dust by a soft current of filtered air
constantly moving across its surface.
For Further Reading
For an excellent detailed and illustrated story of the British attack on Baltimore, the bombardment of
Fort McHenry, and the writing of the "Star-Spangled Banner," we recommend Scott S. Sheads,
The Rockets' Red Glare: The Maritime Defense of Baltimore 1814 (Centerville, M D : Tidewater
�Publishers, 1986) and Walter Lord, The Dawn's Early Light (New York: W. W. Norton & Co.,
Inc. 1 9 9 2 ) . Another useful publication is Scott S. Sheads, Fort McHenry (Santa Barbara: Sequoia
Press, 1 9 8 9 ) .
Online Information:
"Restoration of the Stars and Stripes", Research Reports
Star-Spangled Banner at NMAH
Prepared by the Armed Forces Collections,
National Museum of American History,
in cooperation w i t h the Public Inquiry
Mail Service, Smithsonian Institution 8/95
NOTE: This publication can be made available in Braille or audio cassette. To obtain a copy in one
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(Please provide postal address.)
Armed Forces History FAQs | | Smithsonian FAQs
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rancis Scbtt Key, Author of "The
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everywhere, or mailed Jor 25 c
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I
�RECOLLECTIONS
OF FRANCIS
generally be. Knowing nothing of the vagaries of shutters, of light, of the speed of
plates, etc., the beginner will work his way
to more or less expertness, if he be not
easily and early discouraged, at an expense
to his pocket which is not at all commensurate with the number of photographs he
will have to show. Another, and less costly method, is to go to some friend already
possessed of a thorough knowledge of photography, and buy his experience, if it can
be obtained at a reasonable cost, or else take
lessons of some professional or one
who makes a business of instructing amateurs. I f you go to the right teacher you
will learn more in two or three lessons than
in several months spent in experimenting
and wasting plates. The best and cheapest
method, however, is the one I originally followed and always recommend. Before you
buy your camera go to your town library
and draw out all the books pertaining tc
photography you can obtain. I do not mean
the more scientific works relating to the
chemistry of the dry plate, or tedious works
on optics, but the latest and best handbooks of instruction—there are plenty of
them—and also one or two elementary
SCOTT
KET
works on art; composition,
lighting^
like, a knowledge of which is absolute,
sential to the accomplishing of .pi§
work.
isjk ~—
Having read and digested" thes.
thoroughly, then proceed to get ybtif
era and your supplies, and your alrauF
tained knowledge of the subject will S
you to do this systematically and judig
ly. Of course if there is no free libf_
hand, the necessary books must be^ottQ
by purchase.
'••'?t^~'
The capabilities of photography's
finite. It is at once an instructor^
broadest kind, and a pleasure-giv<
equaled by any other hobby that;tt
man mind can devise. In the hands*
intelligent amateur the camera may'gei
ly be relied upon to pay its own
and may often be made to produce a*'^
some income in addition, without ^inf
way interfering with the proper. jWoL_
the professional photographer, who'isi
to look askance at the amateur as'atfia '
v
loper.
- ^ i
j. ci
New York.
RECOLLECTIONS OF FRANCIS SCOTT KEY,* 1
AUTHOR OF " T H E STAR-SPANGLED BANNER," BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTERJ
T
HESE pages have less to do with Francis
Scott Key the patriot than with Francis Scott Key the son, the husband,
the father, the Christian; not so much with
his burning words, lit by the fires of battle
and the invader's torch at his doors, and uttered in a supreme moment, as with the man
who lived and loved and suffered, yet kept
the "stars" in sight, though the "stripes" of
life were laid upon him, as upon all.
In the year 1700 two brothers named
Phillip and Henry Key came to this country from England. Both were rich, and
they bought lands at Leonardtown, St.
Mary County, Maryland, and settled there.
Henry never married and died young. Phillip built a brick church near the town,
which is still standing. One of Phillip's
sons, Edmond, studied law at the Temple
in England, and afterwards became a judge.
Another son. Francis, married Ann Arnold
Ross, and they had three children, who
were christened John Ross, Philli'p Barton
and Elizabeth. There is now in possession
MI
of the Key family a beautiful portrait
Sir Godfrey Kneller, of Ann Arnold.K
with high cushioned, heavy ringleted^f
and velvet draperies, caught at the st
er with quaint jewelled clasps, the?
blue folds of which well become hei£j
stately beauty. John Ross Key, the*lB
of Francis Scott Key, married A n n ^
Dagworthy Charlton, and settled upG
estate, Terra Rubra, at Frederidcjlf"
land, after the Revolutionary war.!
was born to them on August 1, 178QII
cis Scott Key. They had one otherj
Ann Arnold Key, who became the w
Roger B. Taney, afterwards ChiefJ
of the United States.
" ,
Francis Scott Key came of good™
tionary blood and record, for h i s j |
fought in that righteous war and gajr
erally to it of his substance and
In the old Chronicles of Maryland
recorded that General John Ross Ke
ed and equipped a regiment at his
pense at that critical period, and •
* C o p y r i g h t 1900, A n n a ' K e y Bartow.
4
r
- . '*M* l
'sifo*- -1 . o i l
1
�C/S
SCOTT
RECOLLECTIONS
KEY
s on art; composition, lighting,
a knowledge of which is absolute
1 to the accomplishing of pic
laving read and digested these^l
iughly, then proceed to get yout
nd your supplies, and your aln
d knowledge of the subject will «
to do this systematically and judi
Of course if there is no free libi "
, the necessary books must be obi
urchase.
he capabilities of photography
. It is at once an instructor :
dest kind, and a pleasure-givi
led by any other hobby that thj
mind can devise. In the hands
igent amateur the camera may
e relied upon to pay its own
may often be made to produce a^'
e income in addition, without 1
interfering with the proper wi
professional photographer, who
30k askance a*: the amateur as an
r.
OF FRANCIS
ffimbursement was ever asked or received
t,v him from the government. He was a
' l l t soldier and generous gentleman, and
jivided his inheritance twice over with his
finger brother.
• Francis Scott Key's youth was spent in
\niiapolis, or at "Belvoir," the estate of his
rraiulniother, Mrs. Ann Arnold Key, seven
niiles from the city. While attending St.
lolm's College, at Annapolis, from which
an
SCOTT
KEY
205
1709 to 1714.
His grandson, Edward
Lloyd, was also governor of the State in
1809. In this stately mansion was born
and lived Mary Tayloe Lloyd, and in its
wainscoted drawing room, whose doors are
of choicest mahogany and its latches and
rings made of wrought silver, lovely Polly
Lloyd, in 1802, gave her hand to Francis
Scott Key. At first she was slow and cold
and hard to win, but she was very beautiful
J
;
5
New York.
J. C
\NC1S SCOTT KEY,*
NER,"
BY HIS GRANDDAUGHTEI!
the Key family a beautiful
Godfrey Kneller. of Ann ArnoldJ
h high cushioned, heavy ringleteiT
I velvet draperies, caught at the,T
with quaint jewelled clasps,
e folds of which well become.4!
lely beauty. John Ross Key,_
Francis Scott Key, married " ^
gworthy Charlton, and settled up
ite, Terra Rubra, at Frederickjf
d, after the Revolutionary war
s born to them on August I ,
Scott Key. They had one othe
n Arnold Kev, who became the*]
ger B. Taney, afterwards Chiet|J
the United States.
Francis Scott Key came of
nary blood and record, for
ight in that righteous war and
.11 v to it of his substance and^
the old Chronicles of Maryl;
orded that General John Ross i
and equipped a regiment at hisl
ise at that critical period, and^
Kev Dartow.
L 'sett l>y iOuiUsy o f the l * r i i v Pictitirs Co., lioslou, . l / . u j .
PORTRAIT
OF
I'RAXCIS
SCOTT K U Y
lie made his home with his and had many suitors. Indeed Mr. Key
J"'! *''. v. '--Pton Scott, together with a had for a rival his dearest friend, Daniel
'"'t his own age, Daniel Murray, be- Murray. It is a remarkable fact that Mr.
\ TT ' ' . and Francis Key began here Key retained his friend after gaining his
• '" . ' 'P of rare devotion'and of life- suit, and that afterwards Mrs. Key used
'••'•mtion.
to call that friend "Brother Daniel." It
V ^ . ^. i avenue, in Annapolis, is said that Polly Lloyd at one time made
tfcQj i ) ' ' ' . the present day an old col- curl-papers of Mr. Key's love sonnets and
took care that he should hear of it.
?Sw '
'• ~99 by Edward Lloyd,
^ ^
:.e Council in 1701, and royal
Once she was won. no wife was more
.
'
'•
Colony of Maryland from fond, more devoted than Mrs. Key. Upon
^sM'it:.-.;^.
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206
RECOLLECTIONS
OF FRANCIS
the occasion of her husband's going to the
rescue of his friend, Dr. Beanes, and before
the attack upon Baltimore, he sent his wife
and children to Pipe Creek, his father's residence near- Frederick, fearing an attack
upon Georgetown.
Mrs. Key had until
now steadily refused to leave with her
children, because her husband, being one
of those needed for the defense of the town,
could not accompany them. But now, having undertaken the release of Dr. Beanes,
he wrote urgently, desiring that she would
not delay, but go at once to his father's
house. He purposely kept her in ignorance
of the danger of his undertaking, knowing
how it would augment her anxieties for
him.
Chief Justice Taney, Mr. Key's brotherin-law, has given an account of the circumstances under which the "Star-spangled
Banner" was written, the substance of
which is as follows:
t
1
1
mi
'? 'I-
"You will remember that in 1814. when the
song was written, after the British troops retired from Washington, a squadron of the enemy's ships made their way up the Potomac and
appeared before Alexandria, which was compelled to capitulate.
The squadron remained
there some days, plundering the town of tobacco and whatever else they wanted. I t was rumored and believed in Frederick that a marauding attack of the same character would be made
on Washington and Georgetown before the ships
left the river. Mr. Key's family was still in
Georgetown.
He would not. and indeed could
not with honor, leave the place while it was
threatened by the enemy, for lie was a volunteer
in the Light Artillery. . . . Mrs. Key refused
to leave home while M r . Key was thus daily in
danger. . . .
We ( M r . Key's father and
mother, and Mrs. Taney and myself) became
very anxious about the situation of his family,
for i f the attack was made, Mr. Key would be
with the troops engaged in the defense; and as
it was impossible to foresee what would be the
issue of the conflict, his family, by remaining
in Georgetown, might be placed in great and
useless peril.
" I t was agreed among us that I should go to
Georgetown and try to persuade Mrs. Key to
come away with their children and stay with me,
or with M r . Key's father, until the danger was
over. When I reached Georgetown I found the
British ships still at Alexandria, and a body of
militia encamped in Washington, which had been
assembled to defend the city. But it was there
believed, from information received, that no at-
SCOTT
KET
tack would be made by the enemy on W
ton or Georgetown; and preparations weri
ing on our part to annoy them by battel
shore when they descended the river. The 1
edge of these preparations probably ha
their departure; and the second or thir
after my arrival the ships were seen 1
1
down the Potomac.
"On the evening of the day that the
disappeared. M r . Richard West arrived a
Key's and told him that after the British
passed through Upper Marlborough on tin
turn to their ships, and had encamped
miles below the town, a detachment waback, which entered Dr. Beanes's house
midnight, compelled him to rise from hiand hurried him off to the British camp. ':
allowing him time to put his clothes on
he was treated with great harshness, ami
closely guarded; that as soon as his f:
were apprised of his situation they hasten
the headnuarters of the British army to
his release, but it was peremptorily re.
and they were not even permitted to see
and that he had been carried a prisoner on
the fleet. Finding their own efforts unavr
and alarmed for his safety, his friends ii:
about Marlborough thought it advisable tha;
West should hasten to Georgetown and
Mr. Key to obtain the sanction of the g >
<
ment to his going on board the Admiral's
under a flag of truce, and endeavoring to
cure the release of Dr. Beanes before the
sailed. I t was then lying at the mouth o:
Potomac, and its destination was not at
time known with certainty. Dr. Beanes wn
leading physician in Upper Marlborough, an
accomplished scholar and gentleman. He
highly respected by all who knew him. and
the family phy;ician of Mr. West and the
mate friend oi M r . Key. He occupied on
the finest houses -n Marlborough and lived
handsomely. His house was selected for
quarters of Admiral Cockburn and some of
principal officers of the army when the Br
troops encamped at Marlborough on their in
to Washington. These officers were of co
furnished wiih everything that the house c
offer; and they, in return, treated him
much courtesy, placing guards around his groand outhouses to prevent depredations by 1
troops.
"But on the return of the army to the s.
after the main body had passed through
town, stragglers who had left the ranks to r
der, or for some other motive, made their
ptarance, from time to time, singly or in s'
I
�• i. • j ;
HANC/S
SCOTT
KET
RECOLLECTIONS
ck would be made by the enemy on \
n or Georgetown; and preparations we,,
g on our part to annoy them by battel
lore when they descended the river. T h e i
ige of these preparations probably Vjg
eir departure; and the second or thjj
ter my arrival the ships were s e e n f
•wn the Potomac.
j.ftffi
"On the evening of the day that t h P
'appeared, Mr. Richard West arrived'I
:y s and told him that after the Britis
ssed through Upper Marlborough on i n
rn to their ships, and had encanrofflj
les below the town, a detachment w f
ck, which entered Dr. Beanes's hotis
dnight, compelled him to rise from h,
d hurried him off to the British camp?
owing him time to put his clothes
was treated with great harshness i ^ d
•sely guarded; that as soon as his'*!
re apprised of his situation they haslei
headnuarters of the British army t o t
release, but it was peremptorily t j g
1 they were not even permitted to % M
1 that lie had been carried a prisoner o n !
fleet. Finding their own efforts unaVs
1 alarmed for his safety, his friends
•ut Marlborough thought it advisable t l
:st should hasten to Georgetown and"
• Key to obtain the sanction of the „ ,
it to his going on board the Admiral's!,
ler a flag of truce, and endeavoring t o t
e tlie release of Dr. Beanes before t h e j
ed. It was then lying at the mouth'c "
:omac, and its destination was not .at
; known with certainty. Dr. Beanes
ing physician in Upper Marlborough,
mplished scholar and gentleman. H e l
ly respected by all who knew him, an_,
amily physician of Mr. West and the!
friend of Mr. Key. He occupied"^
nest houses hi Marlborough and l i v e ^
somely. His house was selected *
ters of Admiral Cockburn and some
ipal officers of the army when the 11.
is encamped at Marlborough on their*n
Washington. These officers were of a
shed with everything that the house^"
and they, in return, treated _hini '
courtesy, placing guards around his ~iinhouses to prevent depredations byl
OF FRANCIS
tqiiads; and Dr. Beanes put himself at the head
t a small body of citizens to pursue and make
nrisoners of them. Information of this procced;
was by some means or other conveyed to
the English camp; and the detachment of which
[ have spoken was sent back to release tlie prisoners and sieze Dr. Beanes. They did not seem
o regard him, and certainly did not treat him,
as a prisoner of war, but as one who had derived and broken his faith to them.
0
n e
:
SCOTT
KEY
207
"We heard nothing more from him until the
enemy retreated from Baltimore, which, as well
as I can now recollect, was a week or ten days
after he left us; and we were becoming uneasy
about him, when to our great joy he made his
appearance at my house on his way to join his
family.
"He told me that he found the British fleet
at the mouth of the Potomac, preparing for the
expedition against Baltimore. He was courte-
k
;
0
ut on the return of the army to the"!
the main body had passed through;
stragglers who had left the ranks tiojj
>r for some other motive, made thei
ice, from time to time, singly or inS
THE
KEV
RESIDENCE,
Mr. Key readily agreed to take the mission
lavor, and the President promptly gave
-•••"•."tion to it. Orders were immediately isi ;• the vessel usually employed as a cartel
-v communications with the fleet in the
-apeake to be made ready without delay,
Mr. John S. Skinner, who was agent for
government for flags of truce and exchange
•i p nsoners, and who was well known as such
' \ \^e officers of the fleet, was directed to ac••''"mv
!'any Mr. Key. As soon as the arrangements
•V>.Ti
:'.iade he hastened to Baltimore, where the
was, to embark.
i;
WASHINGTON
ously received by Admiral Cockburn and the officers of the army as well as the navy. But
when he made known his business his application was received so coldly that he feared it
would fail. General Ross and Admiral Cockburn—who accompanied the expedition to Washington—particularly the latter, spoke of Dr.
Beanes in very harsh terms, and seemed at first
not disposed to release him. I t however happened fortunately that M r . Skinner carried letters from the wounded British officers left at
Bladensburg; and in these letters to their friends
on board the fleet they all spoke of the human-
�208
RECOLLECTIONS
OE FRANCIS
SCOTT
KET
..... ;.v.---
"THE
FROM
BOMBARDMENT
AN OLD PAINTING
OF
I N POSSESSION
FORT
OF
ity and kindness with which they had been treated after they had fallen into our hands. And
after a good deal of conversation and strong
representations from Mr. Key as to the character
and standing of Dr. Beanes, and of the deep interest which the community in which he lived
took in his fate, General Ross said that Dr.
Beanes deserved much more punishment than
he had received; but that he felt himself bound
to make a return for the kindness which had
been shown to his wounded officers whom he
had been compelled to leave at Bladensburg; and
upon that ground and that only he would release him. But Mr. Key was informed at the
same time that neither he nor any one else would
be permitted to leave the fleet for some days;
and must be detained until the attack on Baltimore, which was then about to be made, was
over; but he was assured that they would make
him and M r . Skinner as comfortable as possible
while thev detained them.
Admiral Cockburn.
with whom they dined on the day of their arrival,
apologized for not accommodating them in his
o—n ship, saying that it was crowded already
with officers of the army; but that they would
be well taken care of in the frigate 'Surprise'
commanded by his son, Sir Thomas Cockburn,
and to this frigate they were accordingly transferred. M r . Key had an interview with Dr.
MCHENRY
MARYLAND
SEPT.
IJTH,
HISTORICAL
1814"
SOCIETY,
BALTIMORE
-
Beanes before General Ross consented to release
him. I do not recollect whether he was on
board the admiral's ship or the 'Surprise,' but
I believe it was the former. He found him ir
the forward part of the ship, among the sailors
and soldiers; he had not had a change of clothes
from the time he was seized; was constantly
treated with indignity by those around him, and
no officer would speak to him. He was treated as a culprit, and not as a prisoner of war,
and this harsh and humiliating treatment continued until he was placed on board the cartel
"Something must have passed, when the officers were quartered at Dr. Beanes's house, on
the march to Washington, which, in the judgment of General Ross, bound him not to take
up arms against the English forces until the
troops had re-embarked. I t is impossible on any
other ground to account for the manner in which
he was sooken of and treated. But whatever
General Ross and the other offic rs may have
thought, I am quite sure that Dr. Beanes did
not think he was in any way pledged to abstain from active hostilities against the public
enemy, and when he made prisoners of the stragglers he did not consider himself as a prisoner
on parole or suppose himself to be violating
any obligation he had incurred. He was a gentleman of unstained character and a nice sense of
�l.VCfS
SCOTT
KET
RECOLLECTIONS
OF FRANCIS
honor, and incapable of doing anything that could
[jjve justified such treatment M r . Key imputed
ill-usage he received to the influence of A d miral Cockburn, who, it is. still remembered,
tthils he commanded in the Chesapeake, carried
i hostilities in a vindictive temper, assailing
] plundering defenseless villages or countenancing such proceedings by those under his
ooniniand.
"Mr. Key and M r . Skinner continued on board
• he Surprise,' where they were very kindly
treated by
Sir Thomas
Cockburn, until
tlie fleet reached the Patapsco and preparations
were making for landing the troops. Admiral
Cockburn then shifted his flag to the frigate, in
,irder that he might be able to move further
up the river and superintend in person the attack by water on the fort. M r . Key and Mr.
Skinner were then sent on board their own vesicl. with a guard of sailors or marines to prevent them from landing. They were permitted
to take Dr. Beanes with them, and they thought
themselves fortunate in being anchored in a po.-ition which enabled them to see distinctly the
itag of Fort McHenry from the deck of the ves-ci. Mr. Key proceeded then with much animation .0 describe the scene of the bombardment,
lie and Mr. Skinner remained on deck during
the night, watching every shell from the moment
it was fired until it fell, listening with breathless interest to hear i f an explosion followed.
While the bombardment continued it was sufricient proof that the fort had not surrendered.
But it suddenly ceased some time before day;
ind as they had no communication with any of
the enemy's ships they did not know whether the
SCOTT
KET
0 I
a n l
EN-RY
AND
SEPT.
^TH.
HISTORICAL
1S14"
SOCIETY,
BALTIMORE
es before General Ross consented to-1
I do not recollect whether he was!
J the admiral's ship or the 'Surprise/'
ieve it was the former. He found
orward part of the ship, among the
soldiers; he had not had a change of _ .
the time he was seized; was const
:d with indignity by those around him^
Beer would speak to him. He was t
a culprit, and not as a prisoner 6f^
his harsh and humiliating treatment .
ntil he was placed on board the car
Jmething must have passed, when thei
were quartered at Dr. Beanes's hous
arch to Washington, which, in the',
of General Ross, bound him not to' .,
ms against the English forces untill
had re-embarked. I t is impossible on*]
ground to account for the manner in
s snoken of and treated. But what!
il Ross and the other offic rs may
t, I am quite sure that Dr. Beanesl
ink he was in any way pledged t o |
'rom active hostilities against the
and when he made prisoners of the
ie did not consider himself as a pris
•ole or suppose himself to be violi
igation he had incurred. He was a
: unstained character and a nice
4
MONUMENT
TO F R A N C I S
SCOTT K E Y A T S A N FRANCISCO
THE
ORIGINAL
STAR-SPANGLED
BANNER
fort had surrendered or the attack upon it had
been abandoned.
"They paced the deck for the residue of the
night in painful suspense, watching with intense
anxiety for the return of day, and looking at
their watches every' few minutes to see how long
they must wait for i t : and as soon as it dawned,
and before it was light enough to see objects
at a distance, their glasses were turned to the
fort, uncertain whether they should see there
the Stars and Stripes or the flag of the enemy.
" A t length the light came, and they saw that
'our flag was still there.' As the day advanced
they discovered from the movements of the
boats between the shore and the fleet that the
troops had been roughly handled, and that many
wounded men were carried to the ships.
" A t length he was informed that the attack
on Baltimore had failed, that the British army
was re-embarking, and that he and M r . Skinner
and Dr. Beanes ..-ould be permitted to leave
and go where they pleased, as soon as the troops
were on board and the fleet ready to sail.
"Mr. Key told me that under the excitement
of the time he had written a song, and handed
me a printed copy of 'The Star-spangled Banner.'
"When I had read it and expressed my ad-
�210
RECOLLECTIONS
OF FRANCIS
miration, I asked how he found time, in the
scenes he had been passing through, to compose
such a song? He said he commenced it on the
deck of their vessel in the fervor of the moment
when he saw the enemy hastily retreating to
their ship, and looked at the flag he had watched for so anxiously as the morning opened; that
he had written some lines or brief notes, that
would aid him in calling them to mind, upon the
back of a letter; and for some of the lines, as
he proceeded, he was obliged to rely altogether
on his memory, and he finished it in the boat
on his way to the shore, and wrote it out, as
it now stands, at the hotel on the night he reached Baltimore, immediately after he arrived. The
next morning he took it to Judge Nicholson
(his brother-in-law) to ask what he thought of
i t ; he was so r.uch pleased with it he immediately sent it to a printer and directed copies struck off in hand-bill f o r m ; he, M r .
Key, believed it had been favorably received
in Baltimore. The Judge was a man of cultivated tastes, and had at one time been distinguished among the leading men in Congress, and
was, at the period of which I-am speaking, the
Chief Justice of Baltimore and one of the judges
of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Notwithstanding his judicial character, which exempted
him from military service, he accepted the command of a volunteer company of artillery, whose
services were accepted by the government and
formed a nart of the garrison during the bombardment. The Judge had been relieved from
duty and returned to his family only the night
before Mr. Key showed him his song, and you
can readily imagine the feeling, with which, at
such a moment, he read it and gave it to the
public. I t was no doubt, as Mr. Key modestly
expressed it, 'favorably received.' In less than
an hour after it was placed in the hands of the
printer it was all over town and hailed with
enthusiasm, taking its place at once as a national song.
" I have made this account of the Star-spangled Banner' longer than I intended, and find
that I have introduced incidents and persons
outside of the subject I originally contemplated.
But I have felt a melancholy pleasure in recalling events connected in any degree with the life
of one with whom I was so long and so closely
united in friendship and affection, and whom I
so much admired for his brilliant genius and
loved for his many virtues.
With great regard, dear sir,
Your friend truly.
R.
"Washington, 1856."
B. TAMEV. '
SCOTT
KEY
In 1802, shortly after his marriage-to
Miss Lloyd, Mr. Key was admitted to .flic
bar in Frederick, Md., where he resided
for some years,, subsequently moving^to
Georgetown, D. C.
'-'>%#;
There were eleven children bom to Mr!
and Mrs. Key in the old home in George^
town. The shady lawn and orchard sloping tn the Potomac's edge, and the terraced garden with its lofty walnut trees
and Lombardy poplars shading the walks;
made a happy playground for the houst'
hold band. Here.' for each child, a tiny
round garden had been made by the gardener, under their father's directions, and
what ecstasies of delight abounded when
the sprouting seed took the shapes of
names, and "Maria," "Lizzie," "Anna," etc,
were clearly spelled out in the centre by
the green seedlings! Sometimes their £a-.
ther led them to a nest, apparently just dis^.:;
covered, where eggs were laid (not by the*.,
hen) of every conceivable color, and the^
would read traced on each egg:
""''
:
"Look for the hen with yellow legs,
For she's the hen that lays these eggs—'
If a school was to be selected for any^
of the children their father had his own*';
way of choosing one. He called the chil-'
dren, put a Latin grammar tinder his arm,"
and started forth. The teacher would be^j
called on for a Latin quotation. I f his pro-"!
nunciation was satisfactory, the children'^;
and the grammar were left there, othenvise j
not.
In 1832. at a political meeting in Fred-J
erick City, Mr. Key was toasted as a frier ^
of the administration and an incorruptible|
patriot; worthy of being honored, whereverjj
genius is admired or liberty cherished, as';
the author of the "Star-spangled Banner."!
In thanking the company for this flattering;
notice Mr. Key declared that while the song'
had come >froni the heart, he could not^
pretend to be insensible to such a compli-^
ment. The company were the sons of sires •
who had left their crimson footprints on
the snows of the Xorth, and poured out;
the blood of patriots like water on the;
sands of the South, and dear were these^
sons of Maryland to his heart. (Do notj
such a country, and such defenders of their .
country, inspire?) The inspiration of t e ^
h"
poem was due to the heroism of those, the^
defenders of Fort McHenry, who made him;,
compose it. He pictured for them that;
�VC/S
SCOTT
KEV
RECOLLECTIONS
OF FRANCIS
SCOTT
KEF
n 1802, shortly after his marfia
; Lloyd, M r . Key was admitted^
in Frederick, Md., where he
some years, subsequently moy
rgetown, D. C.
rliere were eleven children bom*
Mrs. Key in the old home in
1. The shady lawn and orchard^
to the Potomac's edge, and the?f
d garden with its lofty walnut!
Lombardy poplars shading thelw
e a happy playground for the i
. band. Here, for each child,
id garden had been made by the^—
, under their father's directions
t ecstasies of delight abounded^
sprouting seed took the sha'p
es, and "Maria."' "Lizzie," "Anna
; clearly spelled out in the cenl
green seedlings! Sometimes then
led them to a nest, apparently ju
!red, where eggs were laid ( n o t t
) of every conceivable color, Juijl
Id read traced on each egg:
.00k for the lien with yellow legs,
>r she's the hen that lays these
[f a school was to be selected^
he children their father had "hm
of choosing one. He called the|
1, put a Latin grammar under h i p
started forth. The teacher wo ^
:d on for a Latin quotation. I f _
:iation was satisfactory, the ct
the grammar were left there,
n 1832, at a political meeting i n |
City, M r . Key was toasted as a*
he administration and an inc
iot; worthy of being honored,,.^
us is admired or liberty cheri
author of the "Star-spangled
hanking the company for this
:e Mr. Key declared that while 1
come f r o m the heart, he
end to be insensible to such
The company were the sons'C
lad left their crimson footp
snows of the Xorth, and^poiil
blood of patriots like water j
s of the South, and dear wer
of Maryland to his heart,
a country, and such defenders:i
try, inspire?) The inspiration|
n was due to the heroism of
nders of Fort McHenry, who 1 _
jose it. He pictured for the
i VJ by eoHitesy of The Perry Pictures Co., Boston, Mass.
MONT-MEXT
TO F R A N C I S SCOTT K E Y A T F R E D E R I C K , M D .
211
�212
i$
I
!
, j
J
i
;
1
j
1
RECOLLECTIONS
OF FRANCIS
dark, early dawn, stirring and lifting, as
with an enchanter's wand of light, the battle-smoked clouds above the ramparts of
Fort McHenry, and disclosing the flag, like
a bow of promise opening out from those
dun mists in the morning breeze; the rising
sun; the majestic wooded heights; th^
sparkling waters; the fleeing, vanquished
hosts ; and the burning thoughts and emotions kindled in his breast, clamoring for
utterance.
Both Mr. Key and his wife had inherited slaves, and they were very devoted to
him. He always instructed his children to
treat the old negroes with the kindness and
respect due to age, and held Sunday school
for his servants regularly. He it was who
first thought out the scheme of the African
Colonization Society, and worked hard to
promote it.
Mr. Key was district attorney of the
District of Columbia for three terms, and
he was frequently intrusted with delicate
missions by President Jackson, who was his
warm personal friend, as also was Chief
Justice Taney (his brother-in-law) and
John Randolph of Roanoke.
When the Keys lived in Georgetown,
Washington was looked upon as a very
common place. All the wealthy and aristocratic people lived in Georgetown. The
Key mansion occupied a fine position on the
heights. The back lawn was destroyed
when a canal was cut through it. The
house fronted upon Bridge street, the street
that led to the old Aqueduct Bridge across
the Potomac. After the canal was built,
about 1830, the family removed to Washington.
The old estate of Terra Rubra at Pipe
Creek that he inherited was Mr. Key's favorite home, yet owing to its distance from
Washington it was not possible as a residence during the entire year. It was Rowever retained and beautifully kept up,
though it could have been of no pecuniary
benefit to him, but on the contrary a loss.
It had to be sold at his death. Here In his
childhood's home he gathered each year
his family and children's children for a long
midsummer holiday, and dearly did they
also love the place.
The broad piazzas looked off toward the
mountains, across wide pasture fields, with
pastoral flocks moving picturesquely about
them. His youngest daughter Alice (Mrs.
Geo. H . Pendleton) on that last tragical day
of her life, drove in Central Park, past
SCOTT
KET
"•I
the sheep-flocks " grazing there, and sa
dreamily to her daughter beside her, "Ho
beautiful! It reminds me of Pipe Creek
While still wrapt in these sweet recoUecl
tions of childhood's happy haunts,^an
roamings through wood and vale, hand i
hand with fatherhood's tender guidance
Death called her instantly away to sdlle
waters and heavenlier pastures. One 0
Mr. Key's grandchildren writes:
I
"My earliest recollections of my grand L
father are associated with dear old Pipfl
Creek. We would all assemble in August.!
and start in two stages drawn by'four |
horses each, and the four-horse wagon fronPipe Creek came down for us too, SUK |
grandfather rode beside us on horseback.'
Mr. Key was a most enthusiastic and '
graceful equestrian. He thought nothing 0:
riding to Washington to court from Frederick, or to Baltimore from Washington,'to
visit his children, unhindered by storm aid
rain, often expressing his enjoyment nrbeing out in weather that would deter ordinary mortals from stirring abroad.
^
Mr. Key died in Baltimore, in Januaiy,
1843. He was active and spare to the last,
and had been heard
say that he thanked
God there was "not an ounce of superfluous flesh about him." One of his children recollected that "as he lay on his deathr
bed he told our mother where she would
find in his desk a leather bag containing
some money that he had kept for charity:
He enjoined her not to use it, no matter
how much she might need it, because diuft
ing all his Irfe he had set aside the tenti
part of all he made for that purpose, and.
he directed how this money should be d i j ^
posed of after his death."
At Mr. Key's death, in 1843, the Sol
preme Court adjourned, and the bar and vag|
rious societies pased resolutions of condog:
lence, while the newspapers paid ardenl
tributes to the memory of the deceasef
lawyer and poet. Reverdy Johnson, ove
thirty years afterward, spoke of Mr.
in language which seems to furnish sucj
cinctly a true estimate of the man:
"Some of his writings are truly ge
of beauty. His style of speaking to a cou
was ever clear, and his reasonings logicaTj
while his speeches to juries, when the
casion admitted of it, were beautifully
quent. To the graces of his many acc^-^
plishments, he added what is still mo
to his praise, a character of almost religiou
perfection. A firm believer in the Christ"
w
�t0
h e r
h
re
-feautifJ ,
daughter K ? >
1 Me still ^
' S me t n ^
foam/r,^ ^' rf^ood'
* sweet f
r
W
r e n i
n
S,d
J
s
iipoisatwn, k;,
s
n
• !" o^cur „
or the iJ/ue ^ ^ v e
t
fa
^
'-r/OA-
the
^ ca Je u ^ood's
i?/^'^
d
0 f
! n d
s
^r y 7
t
U J
n
^
^
n the^ c
t , 1 I S
Perfect
e
P
a
U n d
/ , e s
r
^
0
h
a
D e a
''"«.•/.«.,.,,
e
e
d all Z t t *
4
5o
"
me
0
n
—
h
e
C
in f f i
J s J
Purn«
— ^
t / ] a
f "JCev?
t o r
of th
erso
n,
of T •
0
f ^ o r to B * ? ^ f S c n " ^ no
5
x
re
b
, §- out fn , P ssinF j , , ,
- y stc
v mom, .
i - that ^ o ^ S
843. "JS^ died in
B^^otiJ
a r
e a t h e
ll
J ous
r
d
^
7
s
a t
not an
to^that'^,
"«»
fart
r
T C
i « Scotty
5
^•C^.-'
''e
?nedfl
u
e
direct u '"ade fo *f
r
^
/
^
^ e A ^ f to i
a s i
t ; 3 e
iaiJ * P l o t ' s * f ^ro's
S^s-
^ t
a n
^
•^ , ;; -/^le S
e
f
,
ta
d his
b e a r t
n
^ k tSZ
e r
e
° L ^ niof
s
' ' *et is the ^
w
1
1
^ be^
a n
t S
0^ the „ •
W d r , ' d racpw
tft
ev
^ fo
r
ose f"
0l,n
d;
�the regular toasts had been disposed of—
the newspaper says—the following sentiment -was
offered by the company :
AFTER
'• FitASCis S. K E Y — A friend of tlio administration, aud an
incorruptible patriot; worthy of being honored, wherever
genius is admired or liberty cherished, as tho author o f ' T h o
Star Spaugled Banner.' "
After it was drank, and the applause -which it
elicited, had subsided,
Mr. Key rose and expressed his thanks for the
very flattering notice the company had been pleased
to take of him. He never had forgotten, he said,
and never should forget, that he was a native of the
county whose citizens were now assembled upon an
occasion so gratifying to his feelings. Though no
�196
MR.
KEY'S
SPEECH
AT
longei" a resident, its people and its scenes had never
ceased to be dear to him. His annual visits here
had been always anticipated with pleasure, and never,
even from his boyhood, had he come within tlie
view of these mountains, -witliout having his warmest affections awakened at the sight. VHiat lie felt
now in accepting the invitation with which he had
been honored, he should not attempt to express.
The company had been pleased to declare their
approbation of his song. Praise to a poet could not
be otherwise than acceptable ; but it was peculiarly
gratifying to him, to know, that, in obeying the impulse of his own feelings, he had awakened theirs.
The song, he knew, came from the heart, and if it
had made its way to the hearts of men, whose devotion to their country and to the great cause of
freedom, he so well knew, he could not pretend to
be insensible to such a compliment. They had recalled to his recollection tlie circumstances under
i
. -1
-A
strength. and pride, Joft«hi§fnati^
**!^-S!^<i»^st2^
"
^i^JM'^M
• I
'
••i
I- if
m
fn
hi
do
pr
as
cl
in
�A
SPEECH
197
MEETING.
AT
pleondits scenes bad never
. His annual visits here
ted with pleasure, and never,
n
hod he come within tV.e
without having his vravmat the sight. AVhat he felt
station with which he had
d not attempt to express.
een pleased to declare their
r. Praise to a poet could not
'ptable: but it was peculiarly
ow.tiiat. m obeying the im,gs, he had awakened thdrs.
ame from the heart, and if it
the hearts of men, whose de•y and to the great cause of
knew, he could not pretend to
a compliment. They had region the circumstances under
mpelled to this effort. He had
country waving over a city, the
of his native State-a city delm
POLITICAL
;vSted^o@«i^»
v
„ -f. W«nP.miP5 as'thev advanccdMos
^tlie^.attac!c. .v ne' ueimi . i-^ayuau*^
n ^ o f ^ h e .conflict ,fert uppn Ivisvl^mng^ear^and^,.
;
)
m
;
tftiz lii'iP^iTiSf w c n n T i n the. Sefencelof" that fltfjar,
�19S
MR.
KEY P SPEECH
A T
assailants driven back in ignominy to tbeir ships.
Then, in that hour of deliverance, and joyful triumph, the heart spoke; and, Docs not such a coun-
ir
try, and such defenders of their country, deserve a
song? was its question.
With it came an inspira-
tion not to be resisted : and i f it had been a hanging
matter to make a song he must have made it. Let
the praise, then, i f any be due, be given, not to
him, who only did what he could not help doing;
not to the writer, but to the inspirers of the song.
He would advert, he said, briefly, to another and
still more glorious triumph.
To another of our
cities assailed bv the same arm v.
Before Xew
Orleans, was the flower of the British army, the
veteran conquerors of Europe ; men who had broken through hosts of disciplined warriors, and the
proudest walls that military science could erect.
With what scorn must they have looked upon our
Hi
cotton ramparts and rude militia? And the general
who was to oppose, with such forces as these,
their skillful and experienced leaders, what would
they think of him ?
They thought of him, no
• *
m•
Jf
�I'EECH
AT
A POLITICAL
MEETING.
199
>ack in ignominy to their ships.
doubt, as his present opponents still profess to think
of deliverance, and joyful t r i -
of him, as an ignorant and rash man, unfit for any
loke ; and, Does not such a couniders of their country, deserve a
stion.
command.
Yes, he continued, even now, when he has ad-
With it came an inspira-
ministered the government with unexampled wisdom
;ted ; and i f it had been a hanging
and success, we arc told that he is a man of no
;ontf he must have made it. Let
learning, of no ability as a writer or a speaker—
if any be due, be given, not to
and the most contemptuous comparisons are made
1 what he could not help doing;
between his qualifications and those of his rivals.
but to the inspirers of the song,
t, he said, briefly, to another and
cms triumph.
To another of our
iy the same army.
Before New
Against such a leader, and such forces, the proud
host of tiie enemv came on.
great orators and writers?
Ulysses?'"
Where are now the
c:
Ubi nunc fhcundus
Where shall wc find a man to disperse
e flower of the British army, the
the advancing foes with the eloquence of a procla-
irs of Europe : men who had brok-
mation, or overwhelm them with the terrors of a
s of disciplined warriors, and the
speech?
that military science could erect.
neither proclamation nor speech: but he-put a
L must they have looked upon our
tongue into the mouths of bis guns, and bade them
and rude militia? And the general
speak to them.
ipose, with such forces as these,
everlasting remembrance.
d experienced leaders, what would
I t is written on tho brightest page of our country's
him?
history, nnd future conquerors who may desire to
They thought of him, no
Andrew Jackson was there.
He made
There was a speech to be had in
I t was a moving speech.
�KEY
SPEECH
AT
send their myrmidons to shores defended by freemen, will be wise enough to remember it.
He was not disposed, he said, to undervalue those
talents in which it was said, upon what authority
he knew not. that General Jackson was so inferior
to the favorites of his opponents.
The speaker and
the writer may render essential services to a coun-
IS:
try, but there are times which will demand doers
instead of talkers; and every friend of his country
lias rejoiced that we had the right sort of talent at
the defence of New Orleans.
I f their services were even equal, all must admit
that there was some difference in suffering and sacrifice between the talker and the doer, between him
who on soft carpets and to smiling audiences makes
I
fir
speeches for his country, and him whose nights are
spent in sleepless vigilance and his days in toil and
peril; who offers ease, and health, and life, upon the
altars of patriotism.
I f there was any suffering
in speech-making, certain patriots, whoso daily la.bors in that way throughout ihe last winter had
been so extraordinary, were greatly to be commis-
:• -a
-
�A POLITICAL
KEY'S
SPEECH
nidons to shores defended by freese enough to remember it.
lisposed. he said, to undervalue those
h it was said, upon what authority
aat General Jackson was so inferior
of his opponents.
The speaker and
render essential services to a counare times Avhich will demand doers
ers : and every friend of his country
at we had the right sort of talent at
New Orleans.
/ices wore even equal, all must admit
some difference in suffering and sacthe talker and tbe doer, between him
rpcts and to smiling audiences makes
is country, and him whose nights are
less vigilance and his days in toil and
jrs ease, and health, and life, upon the
•iotism.
201
MEETING.
AT
I f there was any suffering
:ing, certain patriots, whose daily laway throughout the last winter had
ordinary, were greatly to be commis-
erated.
For himself, he said, that when he had a
good subject, as he now had, and saw before him
such a company as he now did. and read in their
kindling countenances, the warm feelings of approving hearts, he considered it a pleasure and a privilege to make a speech.
But he would return to the song; the company
had thought it worthy the honor of a toast.
Per-
haps they were not unreasonable in placing so high
an estimate upon a song.
I t had been said by one,
thought wise in the knowledge of human nature,
that
£;
i f he could be allowed to make a nation's
som'S, he cared not who made its laws."
He would undertake to say, that i f a nation's
songs were of any importance to it. there was but
one wav of providing a supply of them.
He had
adverted to tbe occasions of which he had spoken,
�202
MR.
KEY'S
SPEECH
AT
fumisWfie heces5ary\in%'iratibn^
highest effbrte-."^ ^
But if ever forgetful of her past and present
glory, she shall cease to be '-the land of the free
and the home of the brave," and become the purchased possession of a company of stock-jobbers and
speculators ; if her people arc to become the vassals
of a great moneyed corporation, and to bow down to
her pensioned and privileged nobility; if the patriots who shall dare to arraign her corruptions and
denounce her usurpation, are to be sacrificed upon
her gilded altar; such a country may furnish venal
orators and presses, but the soul of national poetry
will be gone. That muse will 'never bow the
knee in Mammon's fane/' No, the patriots of such
a land must hide their shame in her deepest forests,
and her bards must hang their harps upon the willows. Such a people, thus corrupted and degraded
:
I
•i;
"Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence they sprung,
Unwept, unhouorc-1. and uusung."
t.
4
�.
KEY'S
SPEECH
AT
A
tcessary inspiration; when a country
of the lyre, she will command its
POLITICAL
MEETING.
203
He again thanked the company for the honor they
had done him ; but he could only take his share of
it. He was but the instrument in executing what
they had been pleased to praise: it was dictated
and inspired by the gallantry and patriotism of the
sons of Maryland. The honor was due, not to him
who made the song, but to the heroism of those
who made him make it.
He would therefore propose as a toast, the real
authors of the song,
forgetful of her past and present
11 cease to be the land of the free
of the brave/' and become the purion of a company of stock-jobbers and
if her people are to become the vassals
leyed corporation, and to bow down to
and privileged nobility; if the pat11 dare to arraign her corruptions and
usurpation, are to be sacrificed upon
;ar; such a country may furnish venal
resses, but the soul of national poetry
?. That muse will " never bow the
mon's fane. ' No, the patriots of such
lide their shame in her deepest forests,
! must hang their harps upon the wila, people, thus corrupted and degraded
£:
"THE
DEFENDERS OF THE STAR SPANGLED BAKVER: What
they would not strike to a foe, they will never sell to traitors."
:
, shall forfeit fair renown,
oublr dying, shall go down
vile dust from whence they sprung,
pt, imkouorci. und unsung."
"4f
�POEMS
OF THE L A T E
l-RAlfCIS S. KEY, ESQ.,
AOTUOlt
"THK
WITH
AN
STAR
OF
SPANGLED
BANNER."
INTRODUCTORY
BY C H I I i F J U S T I C E
NEW
LETTER
TANEY.
YORK:
ROBERT C A R T E R
& BROTHERS,
N o . 5^0 Ji KO A D W A Y.
1R57.
�ii
8 o i) g .
WHEN
the warrior returns, from the battle afar.
To the home and the country he nobly defended.
0 ! warm be the welcome to gladden his ear,
And loud be the joy that his perils are ended ;
In the full tide of song let his fame roll along,
To the feast-flowing board let us gratefully throng,
Where, mixed with the olive, the laurel shall wave,
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the brave.
Columbians! a band of your brothers behold,
Who claim the reward of your hearts' warm emotion,
When your cause, when your honor, urged onward
the bold,
In vain frowned the desert, in vain raged tlie ocean :
�SONG.
35
To a far distant shore, to the battle's wild roar,
They rushed, your fair fame and your rights to
secure :
S0HL .
)
rior returns, from the battle afar,
; and the country he nobly defended,
Then, mixed with the olive, the laurel shall wave,
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the
brave.
he welcome to gladden his ear,
; the joy that his perils are ended ;
e of song let his fame roll along,
owing board let us gratefully throng,
I n the conflict resistless, each toil they endured,
'Till their foes fled dismayed from the war's desolation :
with the olive, the laurel shall wave,
And pale beamed the Crescent, its splendor obscured
•iffht wreath for the brows of the brave.
By the light of the Star Spangled flag of our
nation.
a, band of your brothers behold,
Where each radiant star gleamed a meteor of war.
And the turbaned heads bowed to its terrible
the reward of your hearts' warm emo-
luse, when your honor, urged onward
vned the desert, in vain raged the ocean:
glare,
Now, mixed with the olive, the laurel shall wave,
And form a bright wreath for the brows of the
brave.
�S6
^ * &&&& r^^s?*
4
their g l
o r y ;
"
0
brave.
brave.
9f^
'
h e
m
br0M
M«o of
b r m v s
3
"
of tho
of tho
�••r :
•iV
4
J.
1
^
V
K > If
FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1832.
BEFORE
the Lord we bow—
The God who reigns above,
And rules the world below,
Boundless in power and love.
Our thanks we bring,
In joy and praise,
Our hearts we raise
To heaven's high King.
The nation thou hast blest
May well thy love declare,
Enjoying peace and rest,
Protected by thy care.
�H YM N.
For this fair land.
For this bright day,
Our thanks we pay—
Gifts of thine hand i
rcLY, 1832.
•• •
.
i
95
�9C
KEYS
POEMS.
Still may it be
Thv fixed abode !
Be thou our God !
Thy people M'e !
May every mountain height.
is --
Each vale and forest green,
Shine in thy -word's pure light,
And its rich fruits be seen!
May every tongue
III
Be tuned to praise.
And join to raise
A grateful song!
Earth ! hear thy Maker's voice,
The great Redeemer own :
Believe, obey, rejoice :
Bright is the promised crown.
* eg'
�y Maker's voice,
ideemcr own ;
II Y M N .
Cast down thy pride,
Thy sin deplore,
And bow before
The crucified.
And when in power he comes,
•X
0. mar our-native land,
From all its rending tombs,
Send forth a glorious band !
A countless throng
Ever to sing,
To heaven's high King,
Salvation's song !
97
�http://www.usahistory.com/history/key.htm
,
http://www.usahistory.com/history/key.htm
USA History
Francis Scott Key
KEY, Francis Scott (1779-1843). A lawyer who wrote verse as a hobby, Francis Scott Key penned the
words that became 'The Star-Spangled Banner' after a battle in the War of 1812. The words were sung to
the tune of the English drinking song 'To Anacreon in Heaven'.
Francis Scott Key was born on Terra Rubra, his family's estate in western Maryland, on Aug. 1, 1779.
Until he was 10 he was educated at home. After attending preparatory school at Annapolis, he entered
St. John's College and then prepared for a legal career in the office of Judge Jeremiah Chase. He opened
a successful law practice in Georgetown (now part of Washington, D.C.) and served as attorney for the
District of Columbia from 1833. He died in Baltimore, Md., on Jan. 11, 1843.
After the burning of Washington by the British in the War of 1812, Key was sent to the British fleet
anchored in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of a friend. He was detained aboard ship overnight on
Sept. 13, 1814, during the bombardment of Fort McHenry. When he saw the United States flag still
flying over the fortress the next morning, he wrote the words to what was later called 'The Star-Spangled
Banner' but was first printed under the title 'Defence of Fort M'Henry'. The song quickly became popular
and was adopted by the Army and Navy as the national anthem, but it was not until 1931 that it became
officially recognized as such by an act of Congress. (See also National Songs.)
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright © 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.
Return to history page
Return to home page
lofl
01/09/98 19:40:10
�http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/sepl2.html
Today in History: September 12
A M E R I C A N
M E M O K Y
I. I B K A K Y
of
C O N G R E S S
T o d a y in H i s t o r y
And the rockets' red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave?
The Star Spangled Banner, by Francis Scott Key
The floating folds of the Star Spangled Banner
Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 1942.
FSA/0W1 Color Photographs, 1938-1944
On September 12, 1814, British forces disembarked at the mouth of the
Patapsco River to begin an assault on the city of Baltimore. The following day,
British Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane commenced a naval bombardment of
Fort McHenry, the last remaining barrier to the city. The siege of Baltimore,
which came close on the heels of the British occupation of Washington, D.C,
proved to be a turning point in the War of 1812.
Francis Scott Key,
Photograph, ca.
1920-ca. 1950, of an
unidentified portrait.
Washington as It
hington
Was 1923-1959
As the evening of September 13 approached, Francis Scott Key, a young
Baltimore lawyer who had approached the British to seek the release of a friend
and well known physician accused of unfriendly acts toward British soldiers,
found himself detained on board a British ship. Throughout the night and into
the early hours of the next morning, Key stood by as the British bombed the
fort with military rockets. As dawn broke, he was amazed to find the stars and
stripes, tattered but intact, still flying above Fort McHenry.
The experience inspired Key to write the words to the Star Spangled Banner. He adapted the lyrics to the
tune of a popular drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven," and it soon became the de facto national
anthem, though Congress did not officially recognize it as such until 1931.
Turned back on land and sea, the British abandoned their attempt to capture Baltimore on September 14.
Four months later, they signed the Treaty of Ghent, bringing an end to the war.
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The rockets that moved Key to poetry were the product of recent
innovations by the English munitions expert William Congreve. Rockets
had been used in warfare as early as the thirteenth century by the
Chinese. In the 1790s, the British had been the object of rocket fire in
southern India. By the early nineteenth century, Congreve had
significantly increased the firepower of rockets and made it possible to
vary the timing and range of launchings. The British put the new
technology to use in the Napoleonic Wars and against the United States
in the War of 1812, presaging the widespread use of the weapon in
nineteenth-century Europe.
The tattered flag that flew at Fort McHenry is on display at the
Smithsonian Institution. Leam more about the history of the American
flag by visiting the Today in History features for June 14 and April 12.
View througl
Fort McHen
Baltimore, Maryland,
ca. 1920-ca. 1950.
Washington as It Was,
1923-1959
Yesterday | Archive | American Memory | Search All Collections | Browse All Collections | Learning
Page
Library of Congress
General Comments: lcweb(a),loc.gov
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�Francis Scott Key
http://www.icss.com/usflag/f'rancis.scott.key.html
Francis Scott Key
1780-1843
Francis Scott Key was a respected young lawyer living in Georgetown just west of where the modem
day Key Bridge crosses the Potomac River (the house was torn down after years of neglect in 1947). He
made his home there from 1804 to around 1833 with his wife Mary and their six sons and five daughters.
At the time, Georgetown was a thriving town of 5,000 people just a few miles from the Capitol, the
White House, and the Federal buildings of Washington.
But, after war broke out in 1812 over Britian's attempts to regulate American shipping and other
activities while Britain was at war with France, all was not tranquil in Georgetown. The British had
entered Chesapeake Bay on August 19th, 1814, and by the evening of the 24th of August, the British had
invaded and captured Washington. They set fire to the Capitol and the White House, the flames visible
40 miles away in Baltimore.
President James Madison,his wife Dolley, and his Cabinet had already fled to a safer location. Such was
their haste to leave that they had had to rip the Stuart portrait of George Washington from the walls
without its frame!
A thunderstorm at dawn kept the fires from spreading. The next day more buildings were burned and
again a thunderstorm dampened the fires. Having done their work the British troops returned to their
ships in and around the Chesapeake Bay.
In the days following the attack on Washington, the American forces prepared for the assault on
Baltimore (population 40,000) that they knew would come by both land and sea. Word soon reached
Francis Scott Key that the British had carried off an elderly and much loved town physician of Upper
Marlboro, Dr. William Beanes, and was being held on the British flagship TONNANT. The townsfolk
feared that Dr. Beanes would be hanged. They asked Francis Scott Key for his help, and he agreed, and
arranged to have Col. John Skinner, an American agent for prisoner exchange to accompany him.
On the morning of September 3rd, he and Col. Skinner set sail from Baltimore aboard a sloop flying a
flag of truce approved by President Madison. On the 7th they found and boarded the TONNANT to
confer with Gen. Ross and Adm. Alexander Cochrane. At first they refused to release Dr. Beanes. But
Key and Skinner produced a pouch of letters written by wounded British prisoners praising the care they
were receiving from the Americans, among them Dr. Beanes. The British officers relented but would not
release the three Americans immediately because they had seen and heard too much of the preparations
for the attack on Baltimore. They were placed under guard, first aboard the H.M.S. Surprise, then onto
the sloop and forced to wait out the battle behind the British fleet.
Np^l^s^
"jwepnmimder;Maj'.. Georgf>$rn^
^seeingUt from^
3 fqr,%mpm^
r
have npfixouble^
y^djierthifteerfyear
At 7 a.m. on the morning of Segtembe^
beg^,and^e.flag..was
readyjo^eety^
^"that^ig^edjas^much as,22%5ounds and'came'd lighted-fuses that would suppose8ly cause ft to explode
when it reached its'targetfBut they weren't very dependable and often blew up in mid air. From special
q
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�Francis Scott Key
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small boats the British fired the new Congreve rockets that traced wobbly arcs of redflameacross the
sky. The Americans had sunk 22 vessels so a close approach by the British was not possible. That
evening the connonading stopped, but at about 1 a.m. on the 14th, the British fleet roared to life, lighting
the rainy night sky with grotesque fireworks.
Key, Col. Skinner, and Dr. Beanes watched the battle with apprehension. They knew that as long as the
shelling continued, Fort McHenry had not surrendered. But, long before daylight there came a sudden
and mysterious silence. What the three Americans did not know was that the British land assault on
Baltimore as well as the naval attack, had been abandoned. Judging Baltimore as being too costly a
prize, the British officers ordered a retreat.
Waiting in the predawn darkness, Key waited for the sight that would end his anxiety; the joyous sight
of Gen. Armisteads great flag blowing in the breeze. When at last daylight came, the flag was still
there!
„
.tobeKatBL-.
call^^he^Stiil^OT^e^^^
i-v^'j'-V^S'iflfetfj
irx^yjivj^,^ .
^
,»wxw —. xxxv,.«wv«
w xigar&bcuments. Key
himself had written seveM^efsibns with slight variations so discrepancies in the exact wording still
occur.
v
celebrali{^^
curtaiiiifsHipTdsitte
moi^ritSionce'-every-hour ^
c
fl3!*i's e3$'^e^^^
Francis Scott Key was a witness to the last enemy fire to fall on Fort McHenry. The Fort was designed
by a Frenchman named Jean Foncin and was named for then Secretary of war James McHenry. Fort
McHenry holds the unique designation of national monument and historic shrine.
SjriceJMa^Oth, 1949 theflag,has flown ^
m6M'nVeiv&^
Sco
s^fThe copy that Key wrote in his hotel September 14,1814, remained in the Nicholson family for 93 years,
f; 'In! 1907 it was sold to Henry Walters of Baltimore. In 1934 it was bought at auction in New York from
f:. thjb Walters estate by the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore for $26,400. The Walters Gallery in 1953 sold
|;^tlfe manuscript to the Maryland Historical Society for the same price. Another copy that Key made is in
^f'tSe Library of Congress.
Related Site: The Patriots of Fort McHenry
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�Key
Key
and speeches were directed toward a restoration in Annapolis, and in 1801 he opened practice in
of good feeling between North and South. This Frederick, whither he was accompanied by a felled President Hayes to tender him, though Key low student, Roger B. Taney, later chief justice,
was a Democrat, a place in the cabinet, and he who married his only sister. On Jan. 19, 1802, in
became postmaster-general in May 1877. He the beautiful "Chase House" in Annapolis, then
held this office until May 1880 when he resigned owned by Col. Edward Lloyd, he married the
to accept, at the hands of President Hayes, the colonel's daughter, Mary Tayloe Lloyd, by whom
office of United States district judge for the he had six sons and five daughters. Shortly afeastern and middle districts of Tennessee. He ter his marriage the family moved from Fredpresided over the courts of these districts until erick to Bridge Street, Georgetown, D. C, where
1894. Then, having reached the retiring age, he Key was at first associated in practice with his
resigned and retired to his home in Chattanooga. uncle, Philip Barton Key [q.v.]. It was as an
Of his twenty-four years of public life, Key influential young Washington attorney that Key
spent twenty years on the bench, either as a was called in 1814 upon the mission that occastate or federal judge. Large of frame, dignified sioned "The Star Spangled Banner." During
but modest and gentle in bearing, he looked the the British retreat from Washington a promipart of a just and, in his later years, a patriarchal nent physician, Dr. William Beanes, of Upper
judge. He was distinguished as a jurist for be- Marlboro, Md., was seized and confined aboard
ing much more concerned with doing justice the British fleet. Key was asked to undertake
than with following precedent or seeking ap- his release. Accompanied by Col. J. S. Skinner,
proval. He was particularly at home in the field government agent for exchange of prisoners, he
of equity jurisprudence. In his opinions he made went down the Chesapeake from Baltimore on
no effort to display great learning but preferred Sept. 5, visited Admiral Cockburn, and secured
to deal simply and justly with the issue at hand. Beanes's liberation, but he was detained pending
During his fifteen years on the federal bench, he the projected attack on Baltimore and was off
tried many cases involving violations of the In- the city in an American vessel during the attack.
ternal Revenue laws in the illicit manufacture of Through the night bombardment of Sept. 13-14
liquor, especially by the mountaineers of East he remained on deck in agonized suspense but at
Tennessee. He understood these people and their daybreak was overjoyed to see the flag still flyview that they had a natural right to market their ing over Fort McHenry. In intense emotional
corn by making i t into whiskey, and he dealt excitement he then composed the poem.
kindly with them. Time and again he withheld
According to an account by Chief Justice
sentence, after conviction, and permitted an of- Taney in the 1857 edition of Key's poems, the
fender to finish making a crop, upon his promise verses were first set down from memory on an
to return at the next term for sentence. And he envelope on the way ashore that morning and
was fond of saying that not one of them had ever were rewritten in a hotel that night. Next mornbroken faith with him.
ing he showed them at the home of Judge Joseph
Hopper Nicholson, who had married his wife's[J. W. Caldwell, Sketches of the Bench and Bar of
sister. The judge was enthusiastic, and accordTenn. (1898); Biog. Dir. Am. Cong. (1928); East
Tenn.: Hist, and Biog. (1893) ; Tenn.: The Volunteer
ing to a fairly authentic story, his wife at once
State (1923), vol. I I ; Mrs. Julian C. Lane, Key and
Allied Families (1931); the Chattanooga Sunday Times, took the poem to a printer, who struck off handFeb. 4, 1900; information as to certain facts from bills for circulation through the city. I t was
Key's son. Commodore Albert L. Key, Chattanooga, published in the Baltimore American, Sept. 21,
Tenn.]
W.L.F.
sung in Baltimore taverns and theatres, and soon
K E Y , FRANCIS SCOTT (Aug. 1, 1779-Jan. gained nation-wide popularity. Probably Key
11, 1843), author of "The Star Spangled Ban- himself had in mind the well-known English
ner," lawyer, was born on the family estate, tune "To Anacreon in Heaven" in writing the
"Terra Rubra," then in Frederick but now in poem, though its adoption has also been credited
Carroll County, Md. He was the great-grand- to Judge Nicholson and to the first singer of the
son of an Englishman, Philip Key, who came to poem, the actor Ferdinand Durang. The tune
had been previously used for a song of the AmerMaryland about 1720, and son of John Ross Key,
ican Revolution, "Adams and Liberty." Key's
who married Ann Phoebe Charlton. He attendmanuscript fair copy was preserved in Annapolis
ed St. John's College, Annapolis, 1789-96, living
by Mrs. Nicholson until her death in 1847 d is
with his grandmother Ann Ross Key at "Belnow in the Walters Gallery, Baltimore. Neither
voir" on the Severn River, and with her sister before nor after writing his famous song did
Mrs. Upton Scott in Annapolis. After grad- iCey take his muse at all seriously. The slender
uation he studied law under Tudge J. T. Chase
a n
362
m
�Key
• >•;.>-• .
Key
collection of his poetry published posthumously private, and in 1775 he began to study law in
(Poems of the Late Francis 5: Key, Esq., 1857) Annapolis. He is said to have participated in
contains obituary, religious, amatory, and mild- the early Revolutionary movement, but he refi''ir facetious waie;'resp^B^Vin^j^w'ibiit of
I? slight .cinuuiuacet^fa
i "Lord, Vith GloMng H « i 4 | t » ^ a w f n r e e , " :
t still included Jn hyi^^s. p e ^ ^ o i f ^ w a r i n l y
[! religious nature, ^ip^Si^^n^j^f.^Hmlerad:
entering the dergy^ vas dd^te^to the ^ehqal
I conventions ^ t t e s ^ p M C ^ ^ ^ i i i ^ ^ l ^ ^ ' L ^ f ^ .witw^
near New York and'.
f- and for maiiy years wais lay reader in 'St John's , fis said to'^ve been in the battle of Monmouth.
* Church, Georgetown. An 'effotiye Speaker, as ^.In 1779 tlie regiment went to Florida. " Key parsuggested by several of his addresses preserved tidpated in the attempt to'recapture Mobile from
in print, with a quick, logicaljtnind, he had an the Spanish and led the defeated troops back to
: extensive prance m the federal courts/ He was Pensacola, where they were besieged and finally
I United States attorney for'the District of Cfc . forced to surrender (1781).
.
Jtunbia, 1833-41, and in October 1833 he was
Paroled in'Havana, Key went to England,
sent by President Jack»n to.Alabama, where he wh^re he was admittejl to the Middle Temple,
negotiated a setdemeht b^ween the state and Feb. 2, 1784.. Returning to Maryland the folfederal governments over,.^the Creek Indian lowing year he was admitted to the bar and pracLands (T. C. McCorvey, "The Mission of Fran- tised in Leonardtown (1787) and Annapolis
ds Scott Key to Alabama in .1833," Alabama (1790). On July 4, 1790, he married Ann,
Historical Society Transoctijms, vol. IV, 1904)- daughter of Gov. George Plater: they had two
About 1830 he changed sihls residence from sons and six daughters. In 1794 Key was elected
Georgetown to WashingtO!i»|?Until, his death he from Annapolis to the House of Delegates,
remained slender, erect, fond of riding, with where he became a leader, serving on important
dark blue eyes and thin, mobile features, expres- committees and commissions. In November 1796,
sive of his ardent, generous future. He died of as chairman of the'committee on the reply to the
pleurisy at the home of luiydaughter, Mrs. governor's address, he drafted resolutions tha
Charles Howard,- Mt. VerriOTSPlace, Baltimore. showed the Federalists' support of President
His body was;placed first irfpfe Howard vault, Washington and their abhorrence of "the inSt Paul's Cemetery, Baltin»re£then transferred trigues of foreign emissaries'' and of Republican
in 1866 to MtTblivet Cemrfg^; Frederick. He agitation. Narrowly defeated in 1800 (and unhas inonumentis there, at FwtfMcHenry, and at fairly, he thought), Key was appointed chief
Eutaw Place in iBaltimor^pcl in Golden Gate justice bf 'the'fourth Uiiited States circuit court
^rk «Un Frandsco^-"^
and established his residence near Georgetown,
D. C In 1802, when his office was abolished, he
fFrancis Scott Key Smitb, Francis Scott Ki
resumed practice in Montgomery County, Md.,
th* Star Spmgltd
and was in '1805 of couhsd for Justice Samuel
jnscnptofthe
_
Chase
the''Star-Spangled Banner,"' rToc^JU-Jh^ffovd in his trial before the Senate. His speech
'Star-SpangU
was
Star"SVVI i 0. QJJLSaaattkrltffrrt On the"Recol- a vindication of Chase's impartiality in the
td Banner (1909) ; Anne Key Barstow,
(IJ
Callender trial. In 1806 he resigned his British
Wctkma of Francis Scott Key," iij^rm dtitwr^ Nov.
half-pay, built a summer home in Montgomery
i looju H. D. Richardion, SideKghtioiriMr&ftXwsy.
>fiCn; T. J. C. WmiamS, Htit. if PMterick County,
County, and stood as the Federalist candidate
. ltd. (1910)', vol. Is Md. Hist. Mao., June 1907, Jtine for the third congressional district of Maryland.
1909, Jane 1910; Mrs. Julian C. Lane, Key and Allied
•-. Families (1931); the Sun (Baltimore), Jan. 13, 1843 ] He was dected, and, after a contest over his
British service and residence in the District, was
A. W.
KEY, PHILIP BARTON (Apr. 12, 1757- seated. Twice reelected, he was throughout a
Joly 28, 1815), congressman, was bim near consistent Federalist, opposing the Embargo,
Charlestown, Cecil County, Md., the son of non-intercourse, war with Great Britain, the
Francis and Anne Arnold (Ross) Key, both of seizure of West Florida, and other Republican
prominent Maryland families. His grandfather, measures. He supported the Navigation Bill
Philip Key, coming from England about 1720, (1810) and the recharter of the United States
had been sheriff, ddegate, and councilor, and his Bank (1811). He was also interested in Disuncle, Edmund Key, had been provincial attor- trict of Columbia affairs and brought about the
ney-general. Francis Scott Key [q.v.], the au- establishment of a standing District committee.
thor of "The Star Spangled Banner," was his His death occurred in Georgetown, D. C.
nephew. His early education was apparently
;
1
• ••'"<
?
m
'3
r
363
•1$
�f
key
822
Little progress was made in the mechanism
of the lock and key until the 18th century,
when a series of improvements began that
led, in the 1860s, to the development of the
Yale cylinder lock, with its thin, convenient
key capable of many thousands of variations.
The key is made in a number of different
cross sections so that only a particular variety
of key will fit into a particular keyhole; this,
in effect, is a form of ward. The serrations
on the edge of the key raise pin tumblers to
exactly the correct height, allowing the cylinder of the lock to revolve and withdraw the
bolt. Although not impossible to pick, these
locks are convenient and compact and offer a
reasonable degree of security. In the late 20th
century they were the niost usual form of fastening for an outside door and were made by
locksmiths in all parts of the world.
A special system is that of the master key.
This system is used when a number of locks
(such as those securing bedrooms in a hotel), each having a different key, must all be
opened by a landlord or caretaker using a single key. Where the only security is by wards,
a skeleton key that avoids the wards may be
the type of master key chosen. In other cases,
many methods are employed; for instance,
there may be two keyholes (one for the servant
key, the other for the master), or two sets of
tumblers or levers, or two concentric cylinders
in a Yale lock.
key, in machine construction, a device used
to prevent rotation of a machine component,
such as a gear or a. pulley, relative to the shaft
on which it is mounted. A common type of
key is a square bar that fits half in a groove
(keyway) in the shaft and half in an adjoining
keyway in the component. If the shaft and
the key are of the same material, a key with
a width and depth equal to one fourth of
the shaft diameter will have the same torque
capacity as the solid shaft if its length is 1.57
times the shaft diameter. These proportions
are closely approximated in practice.
key, in music, closed system of functionally
related chords generated by certain tonal conventions associated with the Western concept
of diatonic major and minor scales. Each of
the pitches, or tones, used in Western music
can serve as a tonic note, or keynote, for a
major or minor key. Thus, the key of G major
refers to a system of fixed relations between
chords that is based on the tones of the major
scale beginning on the note G, its tonic note.
In musical notation, key is indicated by the
key signature, a group of sharp or flat symbols
at the beginning of each line of music.
The concept of key is integral to the system
of tonality (organization of notes, chords, and
keys around a centrally important, or focal,
tone). Different keys are closely or distantly
related to one another according to the number of notes their diatonic scales share: the
keys of C major and G major have six of
their seven notes in common and are closely
related. The distantly related keys of C major
and Ctt major have no notes in common. The
ability of a listener to sense key relationships is
exploited in musical forms such as the sonata.
The broader term tonality is sometimes used
as a synonym for key.
Key, David M(cKendree) (b. Jan. 27, 1824,
Greene Co., Tenn.. U.S.—d. Feb. 3, 1900,
Chattanooga, Tenn.), lawyer and Confederate
Army officer who was appointed U.S. postmaster general by Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes
in fulfillment of a campaign pledge made by
Hayes during the disputed election of 1876.
Admitted to the bar in 1850. Key practiced
law in Chattanooga and became active in
Democratic politics. In 1856 he stood as a
presidential elector for James Buchanan and
four years later for John C. Breckinridge. An
opponent of secession, he worked to keep
Tennessee in the Union but remained loyal
to his state once it joined the Confederacy.
In 1861 he was commissioned an officer in
the Confederate Army, rising to the rank of
lieutenant colonel by war's end. At Vicksburg
(1862) he was wounded and taken prisoner.
After the war Key worked to heal sectional
grievances and restore the Union. In 1870 he
was a delegate to the Tennessee state constitutional convention and was elected a state chancellor. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate
(1875), succeeding former president Andrew
Johnson, but two years later was defeated in a
bid to retain the seat. In the disputed presidential eleaion of 1876, Key supported Samuel
J. Tilden over Rutherford B. Hayes. When
the election was tumed over to a specially appointed electoral commission, Hayes—in return for Southern support—promised, among
other things, that he would name a Southern
Democrat to a post in his Cabinet. Hayes's
intent had been to appoint the Confederate
general Joseph E. Johnston as secretary of war;
but the proposal drew such heated criticism
within his own party that he settled on Key, a
less prominent representative of the Confederacy, whom he in 1877 appointed postmaster
general. Key resigned in 1880 to accept a
seat on the U.S. District Court in Tennessee,
where he served until his retirement in 1894.
As a jurist he was noted for seeking justice
rather than for adhering to the strict letter of
the law.
fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release
of his friend William Beanes, who had ben
captured after the defeat of the U.S. fia^,
at Bladensburg, Md. He was detained aboard
ship during the shelling of Ft. McHenry, one
of the forts that successfully defended Baltimore. During the night of the bombardmem
September 13-14, Key's anxiety was at high
pitch, and in the morning when he saw the
American flag still flying over the fortress, he
wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner." Released
that day, he rewrote the poem in a Baltimore hotel. It was printed anonymously under
the title "Defence of Fort M'Henry" and on
September 20 was published by the Baltimore
Patriot. Set to the tune of an English think,
ing song, "To Anacreon in Heaven," it soon
became popular throughout the nation. It was
later adopted by the army and navy as the
national anthem, and in 1931 it was officially
adopted by Congress.
Key, V(aldimer) O(rlando), Jr. (b. March
13, 1908, Austin, Texas, U.S.—d. Oct 4,
1963, Cambridge, Mass.), U.S. political scieiw
list known for his studies of the U.S. political
process and for his contributions to the development of a more empirical and behavioral
political science.
Educated at the University of Texas (B.A
1929; M.A., 1930) and the University of
Chicago (Ph.D., 1934), Key joined the faculty
of the University of California at Los Angeles.
In 1936-38 he served with the Social Science
Research Council and the National Resources
Planning Board. He taught at Johns Hopkins
Key, Ellen (Karolina Sofia) (b. Dec. 11, University (1938-49) with interruptions for
1849, Sundsholm, Swed.—d. April 25, 1926, government service with the Bureau of the
Strand), Swedish feminist and writer whose Budget during World War II. He taught at
advanced ideas on sex, love and marriage, and Yale in 1949-51 and at Harvard University
moral conduct had wide influence; she was from 1951 until his death.
called the "Pallas of Sweden."
In 1942 Key published Politics, Parties, and
Key was bom the daughter of the landowner Pressure Groups, in which he analyzed the
and politician Emi) Key (1822-92). Family part played by organized interests in the pomisfortune obliged her to take up teaching in litical process. His Southern Politics in State
Stockholm in the late 1870s, and for the next and Nation (1949) pioneered in the use of
20 years she also lectured at the workers' in- quantitative techniques and was a classic in
stitute there. Barnets irhundrade (1900: The regional political studies. In Public Opinion
Century of the Child, 1909) made her world and American Democracy (1961) he analy
famous. This book and numerous other pub- the link between the changing patterns of
lications concerning the issues of marriage, public opinion and the governmental system.
motherhood, and family life were translated He was vigorous in opposing the idea I
into many languages. In 1903 she started lec- voters' preferences are socially detenni
ture tours abroad, particularly in Germany. and in his posthumous work. The Responsible
She also propagated her ideas through an Electorate: Rationality in. Presidential Voting
enormous correspondence, and many young 1936-60 (1966), he analyzed public opinion
authors were influenced by her. Her liberal data and electoral retums to show what he beand radical opinions in mostfieldsof cultural lieved to be the rationality of voters' choices.
life, and especially on love and marriage, led Other works by Key include The Techniques
of Political Graft in the United States (1936),
to controversy.
A Primer of Statistics for Political Scientists
Key, Francis Scott (b. Aug. I , 1779, Fred- (1954), and American Slate Politics: An Inerick County, Md., U.S.—d. Jan. 11, 1843, troduction (1956). He served as president of
Baltimore), U.S. lawyer, best known as the the American Political Science Association in
author of the U.S. national anthem, "The 1958-59.
Star-Spangled Banner."
In September 1814, after the burning of the key bed (geology): see marker bed.
city of Washington by the British during the Key deer, subspecies of white-tailed deer
War of 1812, Key was sent to the British
(<?• v.).
Francis Scott Key, portrait by an
unknown artist
By COuMeSy Of m e Pennsylvania Academy ot the P
Arts. PTnladelphia
Key Islands (Indonesia): see Kai Islands.
Key Marco carving, group of carvings excavated at Key Marco, Fla., that provide the
finest extant examples of North American Indian wood carving up through the 15th century. The highly realistic and sensitive animal
carvings are thought to be the work of the
now-extinct Calusa Indians.
The sculptures, presumed to have had a ceremonial use, retain traces of paint that highlighted the sculptural form. Parts of some,
such as the ears of a deer, were originally
hinged with leather to allow movement. Shell
inlays were used for eyes. The degree of realism achieved in these carvings is unequalled
in sculpture produced north of Mexico, and
some scholars have speculated—without evidence—that commerce might have gone on
^
'
�&!?is
:
,
1
^ * Oi'."" -"v/'J w';: i'-'^'v ''Cv:^- -is :.-/ -:
resumed/jtfa^tel^
and was in 1805 of MtmSa l w ^ w ^ v S a m ^ ; ^ '.
Chase in his trial before the Senate.'- His speech
'"
was a vmdicatioh of 'Chase's impartiality in the
. .
.ijjoo); Anne
lections of Francis Scott Key,"
Callender trial. In 1806 he resigned his British
f l9oa> H. D. Richardson, SuUKohis
half-pay, built a summer home in Montgomery
S^7l;
T. J. C. WitliamCmJTr?.
Wrf. (1910), vol. Is «... Hist. Mag. June 1907, Inue County, and stood as the Federalist candidate
. . . .
. . i Ud.
j909^June 1910; Mrs._Julian C. Lane, ATfj OM
for the third congressional district of Maryland.
(1931) ; the j°<iii (Baltimore), Jan. I J , 1843.]
He was .elected, and, after a contest over his
AW
British service and residence in the District, was
K E Y , PHILIP BARTON (Apr. 12, 1757- seated. Twice reelected, he was throughout a
Joly 28, 1815), congressman, was born near consistent Federalist, opposing the Embargo,
Charlestown, Cecil County, Md., the son of non-intercourse, war with Great Britain, the
Francis and Anne Arnold (Ross) Key, both of seizure of West Florida, and other Republican
prominent Maryland families. His grandfather, measures. He supported the "Navigation Bill
Philip Key, coming from England about 1720, (1810) and the recharter of the United States
had been sheriff, delegate, and councilor, and his Bank (1811). He was also interested in Disuncle, Edmund Key, had been provincial attor- trict of Columbia affairs and brought about the
ney-general. Francis Scott Key [q.vJ], the au- establishment of a standing District committee.
thor of "The Star Spangled Banner," was his His death occurred in Georgetown, D. C
nephew. His early education was apparently
363
, ^.
�7- ^ ^ >
V.
s
r~M L
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Michael Waldman
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Michael Waldman was Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting from 1995-1999. His responsibilities were writing and editing nearly 2,000 speeches, which included four State of the Union speeches and two Inaugural Addresses. From 1993 -1995 he served as Special Assistant to the President for Policy Coordination.</p>
<p>The collection generally consists of copies of speeches and speech drafts, talking points, memoranda, background material, correspondence, reports, handwritten notes, articles, clippings, and presidential schedules. A large volume of this collection was for the State of the Union speeches. Many of the speech drafts are heavily annotated with additions or deletions. There are a lot of articles and clippings in this collection.</p>
<p>Due to the size of this collection it has been divided into two segments. Use links below for access to the individual segments:<br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0469-F+Segment+1">Segment One</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0469-F+Segment+2">Segment Two</a></p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Michael Waldman
Office of Speechwriting
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1993-1999
Identifier
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2006-0469-F
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Segment One contains 1071 folders in 72 boxes.
Segment Two contains 868 folders in 66 boxes.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
MW [ Michael Waldman] - Personal: Francis Scott Key [2]
Creator
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Office of Speechwriting
Michael Waldman
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 39
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36404"> Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7763296">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0469-F Segment 2
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
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Preservation-Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
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6/3/2015
Source
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7763296
42-t-7763296-20060469F-Seg2-039-007-2015