“By Dawn’s Early Light”: Francis Scott Key beholding the still-flying Star-spangled Banner, after the Battle of Baltimore, 1814. 1912 painting by Edgar Percy Moran, Wikipedia image.
Short videos often pack a heckuva punch for history classes. Here’s one from today’s CBS “Sunday Morning,” with Charles Osgood reporting on the creation and flying at Fort McHenry of a replica of a flag that flew there 199 years ago on September 14 — the inspiration to Francis Scott Key for his poem, “The Star-spangled Banner.”
<iframe frameborder=”0″ width=”480″ height=”270″ src=”//www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x15schq” allowfullscreen>
Star-Spangled Banner flies again at Fort McHenry by cbsnews
Star-Spangled Banner flies again at Fort McHenry by cbsnews
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-star-spangled-banner-yet-waves-anew/
Published on Sep 15, 2013
CBS News video: Star-Spangled Banner flies again at Fort McHenry – Applying the same techniques used nearly two hundred years ago, a team of quilters created an exact replica of the flag that flew over Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812, the same flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen our national anthem. Charles Osgood reports.
This is history that most of my juniors didn’t know. It’s not history we’re supposed to teach, but it’s history they are accountable for on Texas tests. A short video like this one at a key spot can boost scores on the state tests — and, though I’ve not been victimized by them yet, the new end-of-course tests probably assume juniors know this stuff, too.
I hope CBS keeps this piece available for history teachers, especially through 2014 and the 200th anniversary of the battle, and Key’s writing of the poem.
[Text of CBS news story here, in case video stops working.]
More:
- City to fly replica Star-Spangled banner (abc2news.com)
- Happy Birthday ‘Star Spangled Banner’ (freebeacon.com)
- The Star-Spangled Banner yet waves anew (cbsnews.com)
- Seamstresses Recreating the Star Spangled Banner (foxbaltimore.com)
- Fort McHenry quarter unveiled during Friday ceremony (baltimorenewsjournal.com)
- Hundreds Participate In Fort McHenry 5K (baltimore.cbslocal.com)
- Relevant lesson plans for teachers:
- Oh, Say, Can you say what the Star-spangled Banner means? Edsitement, at NEH
- Fort McHenry’s National Park Service site has aides for teachers and ideas for lesson plans
- “The Rockets’ Red Glare,” lesson from the National Park Service
- Pre-K to 6 lesson plans on the anthem and flag, from the good people at Scholastic
- From Tarleton State, in Texas, a lesson plan for music and literature classes on the song and poem (in MicroSoft Word download form)
- Lesson planning help from the Smithsonian Institution, on the flag (the original flag is now preserved and displayed by the Smithsonian)
- A list of lesson plans on the war, the anthem, the flag and the battle, from Mr. Donn
- From the National Association for Music Education, the U.S. Army Band Teachers Guide
- “Star-spangled banner, fact or fiction,” lesson plan from the education program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (used in Baltimore schools)
- Series of lesson plans, K-high school, from the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Fort McHenry today:
Aerial view of Fort McHenry, at the mouth of Baltimore Harbor, clearly show the star design that made it more defensible from ground attack. During the Battle of Baltimore, British troops were not able to land and get close to the fort. Image from the office of the Governor of Maryland, via the National Park Service
Posted by Ed Darrell 
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 