Star Spangled Banner

Hello, this is Makenzie, reporting from Washington D.C. Wednesday morning we got up early and went to Ash Wednesday Mass, which was a new experience for most of our classmates. After that, we all walked leisurely to the metro and caught a subway into the city. When we entered the Smithsonian Museum of American History, in front of us was a giant abstract flag leading into the exhibit. {This exhibit tells the story of the original “Star Spangled Banner,” the original American flag which flew over Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key was an American, taken prisoner of the British, who could see the American fort and its flag during the battle. The original flag, the one that actually survived the battle is on display there.} When we entered, there was the history of our country right in front of us. We read about the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and many other miserable wars which lead on for years. Then there was Abraham Lincoln, leading our country and keeping us together as a nation. The tour guide was talking about restoring our original flag, which was three stories high. Then as we turned the corner, there was silence. In front of us was our Star Spangled Banner, and the words of our National Anthem:

“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed, at the twilight’s last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars though the perilous fight, o’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming, and the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof though the night that our flag was still there? Oh say, does that star spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?”

If you ever visit Washington D.C., you have to see this humbling experience at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.