Podcasters are dissecting the myth behind the American national anthem. On The Rest Is History, host Dominic Sandbrook walked listeners through the origins of Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer who grew up on a family plantation and whose father served in George Washington's rebel army.
The heroic narrative of the anthem's creation, however, doesn't entirely hold up to military reality. Dominic Sandbrook described the dramatic flag-waving moment as "a cheat" and "a total con," explaining that while Francis Scott Key believed he was witnessing a great underdog triumph, "there was actually never really any possibility that the fort would fall because the British are too far away."
The podcast also confronted the darker sides of Francis Scott Key's life, specifically his history as a slaveholder. Dominic Sandbrook noted that Francis Scott Key had "at best, a very ambiguous attitude to slavery" and actively "represented as a lawyer slave owners seeking the return of their property." While The Rest Is History avoids "canceling people," the hosts acknowledged that "you can see why Black Americans might find it difficult to celebrate Francis Scott Key as an individual."
As public scrutiny of national monuments and anthems persists, the tension between Francis Scott Key's poetic patriotism and his legal defense of slavery ensures his legacy will remain a battleground for historians.