The Star-Spangled Banner is written on this day in 1814 following the British navy's bombardment of Fort McHenry.
On the morning of September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key saw the American flag standing proudly over Fort McHenry and realized that the fort (and the country) had survived. Deeply moved by this, he penned the words to the most famous poem (and later song) in America's history.
How many people think of America the way Francis Scott Key did when they hear the Star-Spangled Banner today?
Is it just me? Or is patriotism in decline? Sure, there's a resurgence of it from time to time, like in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. But, overall, people are much more superficial, self-absorbed, and cynical now than they were in Key's time period. And I think we're the worse for it.
I realize the progress has been made in America over the years on many fronts. Race relations come to mind. More opportunities for women. Yet, we've not progressed in every area. In some ways, we have regressed. Patriotism is one of them.
There was a time when people were encouraged to believe in their country. They were encouraged by their families, their schools, and by the culture. Hollywood, believe it or not, at one point encouraged patriotism.
Not so much now. While there are still echoes of this in our culture and we are probably more patriotic han many other nations of the world, we've lost a lot in the last few decades. The cynicism and relativism of the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate age has overwhelmed us. It's cooler now to reject ideas than to embrace them, especially if those ideas involve traditional values like patriotism.
Well, here's one American at least that will fondly reflect on the Star-Spangled Banner today, and thank God that Key did, in fact, see that flag atop Fort McHenry on September 14, 1814.
