In his capacity as district attorney, he was noted to have overseen proceedings that upheld the system of slavery, prosecuting abolitionists. He also had a complex, some might say contradictory, stance on race. Key continued working in law and became Washington, D.C., district attorney in 1833. The poem was later set to the tune of a drinking song by John Stafford Smith, 'To Anacreon in Heaven,' and came to be called 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Stance on Slavery The work, which relied heavily on visualizations of what he witnessed, would come to be known as the 'Defence of Fort M'Henry' and was printed in handbills and newspapers, including the Baltimore Patriot. Key immediately wrote down the words for a poem that he would continue composing at an inn the next day.

The British ceased their attack and left the area. (It had in fact been sewn by Mary Young Pickersgill at the request of the fort commander.) After continual bombing, to Key's surprise, the British weren't able to destroy the fort, and Key noted upon the dawning of the next morning a large U.S. On September 13, the three at sea watched what would become a day-long assault. He, along with Colonel John Skinner, was able to secure Beanes' freedom, though they were not allowed to return to land until the British completed their bombardment of Fort McHenry. Due to his work as an attorney, Key was asked to help in the negotiation of Beanes' release and in the process traveled to Baltimore, where British naval forces were located along Chesapeake Bay. William Beanes, who also happened to be a colleague of Key. Though opposed to the war due to his religious beliefs and believing that the disagreement could be settled without armed conflict, Key nonetheless served in the Georgetown Light Field Artillery.īritish forces captured Washington, D.C., in 1814. The ensuing hostilities would come to be known as the War of 1812. seamen and the disruption of trade with France. War of 1812īy the early 1810s, the United States had entered into conflict with Britain over the kidnapping of U.S. By 1805, he'd set up his legal practice in Georgetown, then an independent municipality within Washington, D.C. Key wed Mary 'Polly' Taylor Lloyd in the early 1800s, and the couple would go on to have 11 children. John's College, ultimately returning to his home county to set up practice as a lawyer. He was educated at home until the age of 10 and then attended an Annapolis grammar school. Early Life and Careerįrancis Scott Key was born on August 1, 1779, in Frederick County, Maryland, to a wealthy clan on the plantation of Terra Rubra.

national anthem, 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Key later served as a district attorney for Washington, D.C.

The fort withstood the day-long assault, inspiring Key to write a poem that would become the future U.S. Born in 1779, Francis Scott Key became a lawyer who witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

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