The Story Behind The Star-Spangled Banner
The battle, the flag, and the song that helped define America.
Newt Gingrich talks with National Park Service Ranger Shannon McLucas about Francis Scott Key, Fort McHenry, and the origins of America’s national anthem.
In this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich speaks with National Park Service Ranger Shannon McLucas about the dramatic events that inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Their conversation explores Francis Scott Key’s remarkable vantage point during the Battle of Baltimore, the defense of Fort McHenry, and the emotional power of seeing the American flag still flying after 25 hours of British bombardment.
McLucas brings the story to life with vivid historical detail, explaining how a wartime poem written in 1814 quickly spread across the young republic before eventually becoming the national anthem more than a century later. Together, she and Newt examine why Fort McHenry remains an enduring symbol of resilience, patriotism, and the generations of Americans who have stood between their homes and “the war’s desolation.”
Listen to the episode below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.
Edited Transcript
This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Newt Gingrich
I am really pleased to welcome my guest, Shannon McLucas. Shannon has spent 14 years as an interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service, serving at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Hampton National Historic Site, and the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.
She holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Maryland and has served as a research fellow at American University. She joins me to discuss the story behind “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the life and legacy of Francis Scott Key, the Battle of Baltimore, the defense of Fort McHenry, and how a poem written during the War of 1812 became America’s national anthem.
Shannon, welcome, and thank you for joining me on Newt’s World.
Shannon McLucas
Good morning. Thanks for having me.
Newt Gingrich
What sparked your interest in history?
Shannon McLucas
A big part of it was growing up hearing stories from my grandfather, who lived through the Depression and the Second World War. I was always interested not only in the history of those eras, but also in the personal experiences of people who lived through them.
There is something compelling about human stories and what people can accomplish in different time periods.
Newt Gingrich
Did you grow up in Maryland?
Shannon McLucas
I did. Maryland has a rich and complex history, so there are many things to explore here.
Newt Gingrich
How did you find your way to the National Park Service?
Shannon McLucas
My path was a little unusual. I had been a doctoral candidate and research fellow at American University, then worked as a historian and later in publishing. My husband encouraged me to find something that interested me more, so I began volunteering with the National Park Service.
I was fortunate to get an intermittent position in 2012 during the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which was a very busy time for Fort McHenry. A permanent position opened in 2016, and I’ve been here since.
Newt Gingrich
Francis Scott Key is the unique person who makes all of this so famous. Who was he?
Shannon McLucas
Key was a complex man. He was born in Frederick, Maryland, studied at St. John’s College in Annapolis, and established a legal practice in Georgetown. During the War of 1812, he served in the Georgetown Artillery and experienced the Battle of Bladensburg.
He was later sent to help negotiate the release of Dr. William Beans, a civilian physician who had been captured by British forces after the burning of Washington. Key went with Colonel John Skinner, a U.S. agent whose job included negotiating prisoner releases.
Newt Gingrich
Weren’t they in danger of being captured themselves?
Shannon McLucas
They sailed under a flag of truce, so there was an understanding that they were there to negotiate. The British respected that. The concern was that Dr. Beans was a civilian who had been taken by a military force, so Key and Skinner were sent to secure his release.
Newt Gingrich
So they go out to see the British. What happens next?
Shannon McLucas
They meet aboard a British ship and make the case for Dr. Beans’ release. Key presents letters from British soldiers who had been treated well by Americans after the Battle of Bladensburg.
The British agree to release Beans, but Key, Skinner, and Beans had been aboard while British officers were planning the attack on Baltimore. The British could not allow them to return and warn the city. So they were kept near the fleet during the attack.
That places Key in the right place at the right time by being in the wrong place.
Newt Gingrich
Key is on the boat as the British move toward Baltimore Harbor. That means they have to go by Fort McHenry, right?
Shannon McLucas
They try to. The British had a two-pronged attack. They arrived in the Patapsco River on September 11, and Baltimore had been preparing its defenses since 1812.
There were about 15,000 Americans at Hampstead Hill, which is modern Patterson Park, and about 1,200 defenders at Fort McHenry. These included regular Army, Navy, militia units, sea fencibles, and infantry regiments.
The British land attack stalled after Major General Robert Ross was mortally wounded. The British then relied on the Royal Navy to get past Fort McHenry and support the attack from the south. But that is where things began to fall apart.
The bombardment began at 6:45 in the morning and continued for 25 hours. Key watched it with great anxiety from the deck of the vessel. He could do nothing, but he witnessed everything.
Newt Gingrich
That gives the song a very different meaning.
Shannon McLucas
Exactly. When Key writes, “O say can you see by the dawn’s early light,” he is asking whether the flag that had been flying the night before is still there.
The firing during the night gave proof that the fort was still standing. But when the firing stopped, there was fear because no one knew the outcome. When the garrison flag was raised the next morning, it was a moment of relief and celebration.
The fourth verse includes the line about free men standing between their loved homes and the war’s desolation. That idea still resonates because generations of Americans have done exactly that.
Newt Gingrich
How quickly did the song spread?
Shannon McLucas
Very quickly. It was publicly performed on September 19, just five days after the bombardment ended. It was printed on handbills and set to a familiar tune. Within about six weeks, it had spread from Maryland to Massachusetts and down to Savannah.
That was about as viral as you could get in 1814.
Newt Gingrich
It almost becomes popular on its own by word of mouth.
Shannon McLucas
It does. One reason is that Fort McHenry and Baltimore are not named in the lyrics. The song is not tied to one specific place in the way people might expect. It becomes about American endurance, resilience, and the symbolic survival of the United States.
Newt Gingrich
It is really about the flag still being there.
Shannon McLucas
Yes. Before this, the flag had a function. It identified a U.S. ship or a U.S. garrison. But it did not yet have a story.
Key gives the flag a story and a meaning. The flag and the song become woven together, helping create symbols that Americans would come to recognize as part of their national identity.
Newt Gingrich
When does Key actually begin writing?
Shannon McLucas
He begins writing soon after the bombardment, while still on the ship. He does not complete it until he returns to Baltimore, but it is very nearly a firsthand snapshot of what he witnessed and felt.
That is what makes the song so powerful. It is not abstract. It is written by someone who was there.
Newt Gingrich
This was also during a period when the British had burned the Capitol and the United States was not doing very well. It becomes emotionally important that Fort McHenry stood and the flag was still there.
Shannon McLucas
Absolutely. The burning of Washington was a humiliation for the United States. The War of 1812 was a test of American sovereignty and national honor.
The victory at Fort McHenry, along with the victory at Plattsburgh, gave the country an emotional upswing. For Baltimore, it had a very tangible meaning. Homes, businesses, and families were at risk. Key captured that moment.
Newt Gingrich
If someone visits Fort McHenry today, what can they see?
Shannon McLucas
We are fortunate to have the original fort in very good condition. Visitors can walk through the fort, the buildings, and the barracks. They can stand on the ramparts Key wrote about and look down the Patapsco River.
During the summer, we also have a living history program called the Fort McHenry Guard, with fife and drum performances, cannon demonstrations, musket demonstrations, and programs that bring the fort to life.
Newt Gingrich
How does “The Star-Spangled Banner” go from wartime poem to song to official national anthem?
Shannon McLucas
It takes more than a century. For a long time, songs such as “Hail Columbia,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” were popular patriotic airs.
As Fort McHenry’s military value declined, its cultural value increased. In the early 20th century, there was a push to preserve the fort and recognize the song. Congressman J. Charles Linthicum introduced legislation to make “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem, and it was signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931.
The song endured because its meaning endured.
Newt Gingrich
One of the great services you and the Park Service provide is preserving a living memorial to a moment in American history that helped shape us as a country.
Shannon McLucas
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Newt Gingrich
How will you be spending the Fourth of July?
Shannon McLucas
At Fort McHenry, we have a program called “A Glorious Fourth.” We celebrate Independence Day much as people might have done in the 18th and 19th centuries, including a public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Visitors help read the entire document aloud. Many people tell us afterward that they had never experienced the Declaration that way before. By the time they reach the final lines pledging lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, they understand what was at stake for the signers.
Newt Gingrich
Shannon, thank you for joining me. Thank you for serving your country by educating so many people about an important part of our history.
About the Guest
Shannon McLucas is an interpretive park ranger with the National Park Service. She has served at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Hampton National Historic Site, and the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. McLucas holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Maryland and has published research on American political history and public policy.
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