{"id":861,"date":"2014-01-02T10:39:45","date_gmt":"2014-01-02T15:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=861"},"modified":"2016-08-04T10:00:01","modified_gmt":"2016-08-04T14:00:01","slug":"which-anthem-is-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/which-anthem-is-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Which anthem is national?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Three<\/a>
Three potential national anthems on one 1854 sheet music cover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The arrival of 2014 brings the bicentennial of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d The words were written by Francis Scott Key in September 1814. As the specific date draws nearer, more and more attention will be focused on the song.<\/p>\n

It took a long time to officially designate it as the official National Anthem. That didn\u2019t happen until 1931. The non-existence of a national song was noted as early as 1830 in a newspaper. A man who attended a play in Boston remarked that the theater band played \u201cThe Marseilles\u201d to note the presence of Frenchmen. But, when someone called for the playing of \u201cthe American National Song,\u201d silence followed.
\n
\nThe reason, said the man, is that \u201cthere is no such thing.\u201d He nominated \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d as \u201cthe best among our songs of a patriotic character.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sheet<\/a>However, other people offered other nominees. A band in Michigan, for example, played an 1843 concert during which, wrote one of the musicians, \u201cwe struck up the true National Anthem.\u201d He meant \u201cYankee Doodle.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a counterpoint, a Boston newspaper told how a military band from that city had marched down Broadway in New York City<\/a> in 1844. They played \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d with a regimental band from that town. Said the newspaper, \u201cThe national anthem being over, the military salutes were interchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, in 1861, another Massachusetts paper told how \u201ca glee club sang the \u2018Star Spangled Banner\u2019 and our national hymn.\u201d To that paper, the former did not equal the latter.<\/p>\n

\"Lyrics<\/a>That same year, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated in Washington. Just before he took the oath of office, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer, \u201cthe Marine Band\u2026struck up \u2018Hail Columbia\u2019\u2026.Cheer after cheer echoed each note of the national anthem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, 19th<\/sup>-century nominees for the national anthem included Key\u2019s song, \u201cYankee Doodle,\u201d an unnamed \u201chymn\u201d and \u201cHail Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Civil War would bring an ironic nominee, as noted in a Georgia journal just before the attack on Fort Sumter. \u201cDo you not know,\u201d the newspaper asked its readers, \u201cthat Dixie\u2019s Land has become the \u2018National Anthem of Secession?\u2019\u2026It is called for in Southern theatres\u2026while \u2018Hail Columbia\u2019 and the \u2018Star Spangled Banner\u2019 are hissed down.\u201d<\/p>\n

By\u00a0James Breig<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The arrival of 2014 brings the bicentennial of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d The words were written by Francis Scott Key in September 1814. As the specific date draws nearer, more and more attention will be focused on the song. It took a long time to officially designate it as the official National Anthem. That didn\u2019t happen… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,19,167,103],"class_list":["post-861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-history","tag-patriotism","tag-sheet-music","tag-star-spangled-banner"],"yoast_head":"\nWhich anthem is national? - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/which-anthem-is-national\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Which anthem is national? - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The arrival of 2014 brings the bicentennial of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d The words were written by Francis Scott Key in September 1814. 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