The lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814.

Who made the anthem?

  • The words (originally a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry”) were written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
  • The tune is older: it comes from “The Anacreontic Song,” composed by English musician John Stafford Smith for a London gentlemen’s music club.

How it became the U.S. anthem

  • The poem and existing melody were quickly paired and circulated as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” gaining popularity throughout the 1800s.
  • In 1931, the U.S. Congress made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem of the United States.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.