This flag, which measured 30 feet by 42 feet, was the original Star-Spangled Banner that inspired the lines of Francis Scott Key’s renowned poem, later to become America’s national anthem.

Like so many famous songs of yore, "The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was composed by Francis Scott Key, a Maryland attorney, slaveholder and poet, who was inspired by watching soldiers raise the flag over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry ...

The original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song that would become our national anthem, is among the most treasured artifacts in the Smithsonian's ...