Trumbull Daughters of the American Revolution Remind Us of 200th Anniversary of Star Spangled Banner

Reader suibmitted:

The Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) reminds us that Sept 13-14 marks the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States. The anthem is based on a poem written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing 25 continuous hours of bombardment from British war ships in Baltimore harbor. At “dawn’s early light”, Key, on a ship a few miles away, saw the Flag still flying over Fort McHenry and the British ships leaving Baltimore harbor.

We all seem to take for granted that the song will be sung at the opening of our sporting events. This tradition began when the song was sung at the opening of the baseball World Series in 1917 in honor of the servicemen fighting in World War I. Everyone was moved by the words and it has been sung before every game thereafter. The song was proclaimed our National Anthem by Congress in 1931.

The first stanza describes what Francis Scott Key saw from the ship:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s 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 Continental Congress on June 14, 1777 passed the first Flag Act: “Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” Each star and stripe represented the 13 Colonies which were united nearly one year earlier by the Declaration of Independence. The thirteen Colonies are listed below with the date that each ratified the Constitution and became a State.

• (1st) Delaware December 7th, 1787
• (2nd) Pennsylvania December 12th,1787
• (3rd) New Jersey December18th, 1787
• (4th) Georgia January 2nd, 1788
• (5th) Connecticut January 9th, 1788
• (6th) Massachusetts February 6th, 1788
• (7th) Maryland April 28th, 1788
• (8th) South Carolina May 23rd, 1788
• (9th) New Hampshire June 21st, 1788
• (10th) Virginia June 25th, 1788
• (11th) New York July 25th, 1788
• (12th) North Carolina November 21st, 1789
• (13th) Rhode Island May 29th, 1790

Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor, White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.

When we hear our National Anthem, take off your hats, stop texting, and really listen to the lyrics. Our flag symbolizes the sacrifices of all our men and women who willingly gave their lives so that we could be free to listen or not listen to our National Anthem.

The DAR perpetuates the memory and spirit of the men and women who won American independence. The DAR is a women’s service organization dedicated to historic preservation, education and patriotism. Any woman over 18 who can prove an ancestor served in the American Revolution is a prospective member. For more information on the DAR visit http://www.sarahriggshumphreysDAR.org.

About Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution

Our chapter supports Derby, Shelton, Trumbull, Stratford, Bridgeport, and Monroe, Connecticut, and other surrounding towns. The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.

The Sarah Riggs Humphreys chapter of the NSDAR was organized October 11, 1893.
The Mary Silliman chapter of the NSDAR was organized January 15, 1894.
The Sarah Riggs Humphreys and Mary Silliman chapters merged on October 3, 2009.

Please visit the General David Humphreys House for more information on Sarah Riggs Humphreys and General David Humphreys.