"The Star-Spangled Banner" started as a poem, written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812. The stanzas recount the British attack on Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. It's a song you have heard countless times – and you can probably recite it by heart. But do you know what the words mean? The line "Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming" suggests that the stars and stripes of the US flag could be seen over the ramparts despite the bombardment of the British warships. A rampart is a barricade built to protect a castle or fort, such as Fort McHenry in this case.
