
Close-up images of the Star-Spangled Banner and detailed historical background are available in the online exhibition The Star-Spangled Banner: The flag that inspired the national anthem. Since 1907, the Smithsonian Institution has been responsible for preserving, displaying, and teaching about the Star-Spangled Banner. Key’s words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own meanings and memories. The sight of those "broad stripes and bright stars" inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate an important victory over British forces during the War of 1812.
