Why is it called the star spangled banner?

Answer 1

The phrase " star spangled banner" refers to the American flag, specifically in Keys' poem to the flag flying over Ft. McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812.

It is also the national anthem of the US and so the song has taken on special meanings for many people at various times, one instance being at the Olympics.

Answer 2

A banner can refer to any flag. Spangled means covered in small sparkling objects. The "Star Spangled Banner" refers to the American flag and its stars .

The epithet is used in the second to last line of each verse of the US national anthem.

The US National Anthem was written in 1814 when the US flag contained 15 stars; one for each member state. The poem was scribbled down by Francis Scott Key in the dawn of the battle at Ft. McHenry, a decisive fight in the War of 1812 that came a few weeks after the British had burned down the White House and Capitol in Washington.

After 25 hours of bombardments, Key, a Washington lawyer aboard a British ship to negotiate the release of a U.S. sergeant, squinted through the haze to find out who had won.

He finally saw the 30-by-42 feet garrison flag that inspired him to jot down a poem in honor of freedom and victory. The most powerful navy in the world had been defeated by an army of ragtag soldiers and volunteers from Baltimore.

Ref: Smithsonian National Museum of American History & LA Times March 10, 2014

Answer 3

When the lyricist (Francis Scott Key) wrote the lyric he gave it the title The Defence of Fort McHenry, and it was first published (17 September 1814) under that name. But in late September 1814 Thomas Carr (owner of the Carr Music Store in Baltimore) published the lyric together with sheet music for the tune that had become attached to it (To Anacreon in Heaven, by John Stafford Smith) under a new title: The Star Spangled Banner.

Carr's reasons for choosing the new title are not recorded, but the phrase is an obvious reference to a prominent line in the chorus, so they aren't exactly mysterious.

Answer 4

The flag has stars on it, and its a banner.

Answer 5

The star spangled banner