THE VIRGINIA DYNASTY 1801 1825
HISTORY OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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____ through the perilous fight ____
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____ what so proudly we hailed ____
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____ o’er the ramparts we watched ____
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____ by the dawn’s early light ____
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Detailed explanation-1: -Key uses “hailed” to mean, “saw or took note of.” The “twilight’s last gleaming” is the very last bit of light before night falls, and “dawn’s early light” is the first sunlight the next morning.
Detailed explanation-2: -On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem.
Detailed explanation-3: -George Armistead, the commander of Fort McHenry. Knowing that his fort was a likely British target, Armistead told the commander of Baltimore defenses in July 1813 that he needed a flag-a big one. “We, sir, are ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore against invading by the enemy…
Detailed explanation-4: -This patriotic song, whose words were written by Francis Scott Key on Sept. 14, 1814, during the War of 1812 with Great Britain, was adopted by Congress as the U.S. national anthem in 1931.