USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -United States History The Star Spangled Banner He was on a mission to ask for the release of an American who was held prisoner, Dr. William Beanes. Key went to the British fleet on the Potomac River. Key spoke to the British admiral and showed him letters from British prisoners telling how well they were being treated.

Detailed explanation-2: -Doctor William Beanes was a prominent physician and planter in Prince George’s County. The Beanes Cemetery in Upper Marlboro, containing the remains of Dr. Beanes and his wife Sarah, serves as a memorial to the doctor known best for his passive role in Francis Scott Key’s penning of the “Star Spangled Banner” in 1814.

Detailed explanation-3: -Key was in British custody due to an incident that had occurred two weeks earlier, when a 65-year-old physician, William Beanes, confronted some British soldiers who had tried to plunder his Upper Marlboro, Maryland, home. One of the soldiers complained to his officers, who had the doctor placed under arrest.

Detailed explanation-4: -Francis Scott Key was a prominent lawyer in Frederick, Maryland and Washington, D.C. He made his name in 1807 defending Justus Eric Bollman and Samuel Swartwout who had been charged with treason in connection to an alleged conspiracy designed by Aaron Burr.