Francis Scott Key's The Star-Spangled Banner

The United States national anthem (Star-Spangled Banner) is a poem written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing the flag still standing during the Fort McHenry bombardment in 1814. The poem was first titled “Defense of Fort M’Henry” which eventually became the Star-Spangled Banner. It was then adopted by the United States Military to play during ceremonies of raising and lowering the flag in the 1890s, but in 1916 President Wilson declared the song as the national anthem of the United States. In the fall of 1918, The Star-Spangled Banner was played for the first time during the opening World Series game of that year between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. Since then, every major sporting event kicks off with a silent salute to the
Freedom is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution, which gives citizens the right to free speech and to peacefully assemble to express one’s opinions. In addition, “regarding speech involving the American flag and political beliefs, the Court has expressly held that the freedom of speech includes: the right to not salute the flag, the right to burn the flag in protest, and the right to use certain offensive words and phrases to convey political messages” (Polk, 282). NFL players are exercising their right to peacefully protest by using their popularity to address the important social issues regarding racism in America. Since NFL players have a large following, this sparks an urge for citizens to join in protest. By participating, it expresses frustration with the American government in hopes of portraying a message for change. “Further, as the flag and the national anthem represent national unity, athletes kneeling before the flag during the national anthem sends a message that the country is not unified, as evidenced by the alarming amount of police violence against unarmed African Americans” (Polk,