The 4th of July weekend was packed. World Cup, baseball, fireworks, shootings at public and private gatherings. You get the picture. It was the United States in its full-juxtaposition of patriotism and suffering. We were, at once, our best and our worst.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank, so to speak, published a survey of American’s understanding of our country’s understanding of the weekend’s historical meaning. While I don’t agree with a lot of the musings of the Institute, I did find the survey results to be interesting.
Key Take-Aways
- 86% are grateful to be American
- 70% say Founding principles remain relevant today
- 57% say the US has moved away from its founding principles
- 56% worry the US could lose its freedom over the next 50 years
- 58% say no political party should be trusted with too much power
- Nearly half (46%) of Americans don’t know what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates
- A little more than half (53%) correctly answered that it was the adoption of the Declaration of Independence
- Four in 10 Americans think it’s acceptable if a president they support stretched the Constitution to get what they want
- 58% don’t know what the main purpose of the US Constitution is
- 57% don’t know the reason we declared independence from Great Britain and created our government with limited powers
Over the last so many days, we’ve all heard the old, familiar tune of our nation’s anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a tribute to American resilience, celebrating the survival of the U.S. flag during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. This was a moment during the War of 1812, often referred to as the US’ Second War of Independence. Penned by Francis Scott Key in 1814 after witnessing the grueling 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry, the song details his anxiety through the night and his relief at seeing the American flag still waving at dawn.
Complete version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” showing spelling and punctuation from Francis Scott Key’s manuscript in the Maryland Historical Society collection.
Verse 1
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Did you realize that there are three more verses to the original script?
Verse 2
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
‘Tis the star-spangled banner – O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
The third verse is specifically anti-British. The comparison here is that American soldiers were volunteering heroically, while British soldiers were motivated by money. The reference to the “hireling and slave” (while not clear in modern interpretation) was in reference to the British soldiers, who were paid soldiers (hirelings) and forced to fight at the behest of a king (slave). The third verse would be removed as a sanctioned version published by the US government due to it’s interpretation of America’s own history of slavery. And, ultimately, the performance has been universally stripped down to just the first verse for brevity.
Verse 3
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Verse 4
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto – “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
As an anthem, American culture will leverage other songs to bring a more holistic view of patriotism and societal alignment. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is often sung before The Star-Spangled Banner. “America the Beautiful” is also a substitute patriotic ritual for the nation’s official anthem.
I find “The Star-Spangled Banner,” in all of its confusion, perceived contradiction and inspiration, to be a relatively accurate reflection of patriotism in America. It’s performed for sporting events, military funerals, parades and social protests. And in each venue, its reflective of the variations of emotion for each situation, but no less patriotic. For those who condemn players, activists and others who kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner”, they are simply missing the point and context of the song itself. It’s not anti-patriotic; it’s quite literally a demonstration of patriotism. The lyrics ask it’s singers to contemplate the call to participate in democracy. Disagreements with the lyrics, interpretations or accordance with the performance aren’t an issue, but a feature of the democratic process. Patriotism, I’d suggest, is not about simple or forced agreement. It’s a shared commitment among all of us to work together to make the United States be the best it can be.
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