The Star-Spangled Banner

This program, narrated by Roger Mudd, offers an interesting look at the history of the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's poem confirming a young nation's sense of self. The particular flag Key saw came about through the herculean efforts of a seamstress to meet a request by Captain Amistad, commander of Ft. McHenry outside of Baltimore. The captain wanted a large symbol of American pride to wave in the face of the British fleet as it bombarded his post during the War of 1812. Most likely, the good Captain had no suspicions as to just how wildly successful his efforts would be--after Key's poem was published in 1814, it was paired with a tune from a drinking song (everybody knew the melody already so it was easy to remember) and became quite popular. In addition to tracing the song and flag's history, the program also looks at present-day intricate efforts to preserve what is left of the original fabric.

Release Date: 1999-02-20
Seasons: 1 2 7 9 10
TMDb: 0.0/10
  • Language: English
  • Runtime: 60

Other episodes for this season

The Underground Railroad
Episode 1 - The Underground Railroad
Dear Home: Letters from World War II
Episode 2 - Dear Home: Letters from W...
The Declaration of Independence
Episode 3 - The Declaration of Indepe...
Frontier Homes
Episode 4 - Frontier Homes
The World War II Memorial
Episode 5 - The World War II Memorial
National D-Day Museum
Episode 6 - National D-Day Museum
Grand Central
Episode 7 - Grand Central
The White House: 200th Anniversary
Episode 8 - The White House: 200th An...
Dear Home: Letters from WWI
Episode 9 - Dear Home: Letters from W...
Civil War Battlefields
Episode 10 - Civil War Battlefields
America's Most Endangered 2001
Episode 11 - America's Most Endangered...
The Missouri
Episode 12 - The Missouri
The Star-Spangled Banner
Episode 13 - The Star-Spangled Banner
USS Arizona
Episode 14 - USS Arizona
Valley Forge
Episode 15 - Valley Forge
American Lighthouses
Episode 16 - American Lighthouses
America's Most Endangered 2002
Episode 17 - America's Most Endangered...
Save Our Sounds
Episode 18 - Save Our Sounds
Presidential Yacht: The USS Sequoia
Episode 19 - Presidential Yacht: The U...
Dear Home: Letters from World War I
Episode 20 - Dear Home: Letters from W...
Yellowstone
Episode 21 - Yellowstone
America's Most Endangered 2003
Episode 22 - America's Most Endangered...
Defining Documents
Episode 23 - Defining Documents
George Washington's Workshop
Episode 24 - George Washington's Works...
National World War II Memorial
Episode 25 - National World War II Mem...
The President Slept Here
Episode 26 - The President Slept Here
Secrets of Jamestown
Episode 27 - Secrets of Jamestown
Gold Rush Ghost Towns
Episode 29 - Gold Rush Ghost Towns
Apollo: The Race Against Time
Episode 30 - Apollo: The Race Against...
FBI Stings: Recovering Stolen History
Episode 31 - FBI Stings: Recovering St...
Alaska's Bloodiest Battle
Episode 32 - Alaska's Bloodiest Battle
Jefferson's Other Revolution
Episode 33 - Jefferson's Other Revolut...
Inside the B25
Episode 34 - Inside the B25
Victorian Reborn
Episode 35 - Victorian Reborn
Godspeed to Jamestown
Episode 36 - Godspeed to Jamestown
The Search for George Washington
Episode 37 - The Search for George Was...
Sherman's Total War Tactics
Episode 38 - Sherman's Total War Tacti...
Revolution in Boston
Episode 39 - Revolution in Boston
America's Most Endangered 1997
Episode 40 - America's Most Endangered...
Andrew Jackson
Episode 41 - Andrew Jackson
Voices of Civil Rights
Episode 42 - Voices of Civil Rights