Amy Chen—the history of the U.S. National Anthem(s)
I love this YouTuber, she always comes with facts.
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DrWatson · 70-79, M
I read the third stanza very differently.
Here it is:
"And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. "
I see the "band" as being the British military. They are being mocked for how they vauntingly swore to deprive us of a country through the havoc of war." Their foul footsteps, encroaching on our freedom, are referred to as pollution. But the blood of their own defeat has cleansed us of that pollution.
I take those who head for the gloom of the grave to also be the British military, since they are not referred to as heading to the grave heroically. They are in retreat , in the "terror of flight" from the victorious American forces. So....I agree with commentators who believe that the "hireling and slave" is the British soldier or sailor -- a slave because he is subject to a monarch and is not a citizen of a republic. Such a hireling/slave found no refuge, as the British went down to defeat.
(All of which is a very idealized account of the war of 1812, which most historians today regard as a stalemate.)
I think the more relevant criticism of the Star Spangled Banner regarding American slavery is in the fourth stanza, where we read the victorious proclamation
"O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation! "
Yes, "freemen" can claim they have been blessed with victory and peace, and claim they have been rescued by heaven. Black slaves, as usual, are not even mentioned (in this stanza or the previous one. ) I doubt that in 1814, they felt particularly rescued from anyone.
Here it is:
"And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. "
I see the "band" as being the British military. They are being mocked for how they vauntingly swore to deprive us of a country through the havoc of war." Their foul footsteps, encroaching on our freedom, are referred to as pollution. But the blood of their own defeat has cleansed us of that pollution.
I take those who head for the gloom of the grave to also be the British military, since they are not referred to as heading to the grave heroically. They are in retreat , in the "terror of flight" from the victorious American forces. So....I agree with commentators who believe that the "hireling and slave" is the British soldier or sailor -- a slave because he is subject to a monarch and is not a citizen of a republic. Such a hireling/slave found no refuge, as the British went down to defeat.
(All of which is a very idealized account of the war of 1812, which most historians today regard as a stalemate.)
I think the more relevant criticism of the Star Spangled Banner regarding American slavery is in the fourth stanza, where we read the victorious proclamation
"O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation! "
Yes, "freemen" can claim they have been blessed with victory and peace, and claim they have been rescued by heaven. Black slaves, as usual, are not even mentioned (in this stanza or the previous one. ) I doubt that in 1814, they felt particularly rescued from anyone.
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DrWatson · 70-79, M
@bijouxbroussard That is not a surprise to me. But I was not claiming that Key was expressing sympathy for slaves in the Star spangled banner.
I see the poem as written by a member of the privileged class about the privileged class. One more example of the Black experience being overlooked by those who record history.
I see the poem as written by a member of the privileged class about the privileged class. One more example of the Black experience being overlooked by those who record history.
bijouxbroussard · F
@DrWatson One thing that I didn’t previously know was that it had been relatively recently adopted as our national anthem, and those citizens who are deliberately not included have even less reason to be moved by the song. America the Beautiful would’ve been a better choice.
bijouxbroussard · F
@SusanInFlorida So you’re here, rudely trolling my post because you have issues with YouTube ? Do you hassle the folks who post music videos, too ? 😑
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bijouxbroussard · F
@SusanInFlorida Wow, and you go right to the personal insults without any previous conversation ? Did you not know about this history ? Are these among the provable facts that people like your governor is trying to censor being taught about ? I block white supremacists, so I do appreciate you identifying yourself, however.