ROSS SIMPSON

ROSS SIMPSON

Clement Clarke Moore – 1779-1863

Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, penned a poem which was
later set to music. In 1931 it become America’s national anthem,
“The Star-Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The
Defence of Fort M’Henry,” was written after Key saw the Maryland
fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. Key
was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over Fort
McHenry at daybreak. as reflected in the now-famous words of the
“Star-Spangled Banner”: “

Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843)

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)

On January 19, 1809, poet, author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe
is born in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for his poetry
and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre
widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the U.S. and
of American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country’s
earliest practitioners of the short story. He is generally considered
the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited
with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was
the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing
alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

 
Painting of Francis Scott Key standing on boat, with
right arm stretched out toward the United States flag
flying over Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland.

Francis Scott Key penned a poem which is later set to music
and in 1931 becomes America’s national anthem, “The Star-
Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The Defense
of Fort McHenry,” was written after Key witnessed the
Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the
War of 1812. Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S.
flag still flying over Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected
in the now-famous words of the “Star-Spangled Banner”:
“And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843)

Francis S. Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet
from Frederick, Maryland. It has been speculated that the U.S. motto
"In God We Trust" was adapted from a line in the fourth stanza of
the "Star-Spangled Banner".