How many verses in the national anthem

It is probably one of several drafts that Key made before sending the copy to the printer. This is the first known printing of Key's poem. Called a broadside, it was probably printed in Baltimore on Sept. Courtesy Maryland Historical Society. Because the song extolled the national flag—a symbol of loyalty to the Union—Northerners enthusiastically embraced it as a patriotic anthem. Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the king!

See more Latest features. Royal Ballet. See more Browse by. And who wrote it? Picture: Getty. So as the rain poured down, a smaller storm flag that measured by feet flew in its place.

It did not become the national anthem until more than a century after it was written. The national anthem has four verses. Key opposed American entry into the War of Ironically, the man who created one of the lasting patriotic legacies of the War of adamantly opposed the conflict at its outset. Key was a consummate Washington insider. Although Key loathed politics, he was a prominent figure in Washington, D. He prosecuted hundreds of cases, including that of Richard Lawrence for the attempted assassination of Jackson, and argued over cases before the United States Supreme Court.

Key was a slave owner.