HISTORY: THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

On November 3, 1929, Robert Ripley drew a panel in his syndicated cartoon, Ripley's Believe it or Not!, saying "Believe It or Not, America has no national anthem"

March 3, 1931 President Herbert Hoover signed the law making the Star Spangled Banner the first and only National Anthem.

The Star Spangled Banner started life as a four stanza poem written by Frances Scott Key titled “Defense of Fort Henry” after witnessing the British naval bombardment of the fort in the War of 1812.

It was soon set to an already popular in the United States tune of a signature song “The Anecreontic Song” written for a British Social Club of that era and titled with its present name.

In 1889 the Navy ordered the Star Spangled Banner to be played at the raising of the flag. It had already become popular and was being played a various events such as Fourth of July celebrations.

In 1916 President Wilson order it played at all military and other appropriate occasions. It was first performed at opening day Baseball ceremonies in Philadelphia in 1897 and afterwards regularly at the Polo Grounds in New York. It was not until WWII that it became a fixture before all Baseball games and subsequently all professional sports.

What was the National Anthem before 1931? The answer was none; however there were several songs that were popular and a frequently played as if they had that role.

The most important one was “Hail, Columbia”. The tune titled “The Presidents March’ was written by Philip Phile in 1789 for Washington’s first inauguration In 1798 Joseph Hopkinson’s lyrics were added and it was renamed

Throughout the early 19^th Century it was used although unofficial as the national anthem reaching its peak during Lincoln’s Presidency. However for some reason it completely lost its popularity about the time of WW I. Yet it still has an official place filling the role for the Vice-President as “Hail to the Chief” does for the President.

There have been other songs that up to 1931 often filled the role as our national anthem. Foremost was "My Country ‘Tis of Thee” also known as ‘America”. This was the song I remembered from my childhood.

Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics in 1831 and set it to the same melody of the British National Anthem; today titled ‘God Save the Queen” The melody supposedly originated in Muzio Clementi’s “Symphony #3”. It was first performed July 4, 1831 at a children’s Independence Day celebration in Boston.

Once the most popular alternative for a National Anthem was “America the Beautiful”. It started life as an 1895 poem “Pikes Peak” by Katherine Lee Bates and published in that year’s Fourth of July edition of the church periodical “The Congregationalist”.

Church organist and choir master Samuel A. Ward had written the music “Materrna" for the hymn “O Mother Dear, Jerusalem” in 1882.In 1910 he combined it with the lyrics and gave it its new name. To this day it is one of the most popular patriotic tunes.

In 1918 while in the U.S. Army; Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” for the musical revue “Yip Yip Yaphank” but decided it did not fit and put it aside.

In 1938 with Hitler’s rise in Europe; Berlin who was a first generation Jewish European immigrant decided it was time to revise and revive it as a ‘peace song”. Kate Smith introduced it on her radio show Armistice Day Broadcast. She performed it as production number with full orchestra and chorus with trumpets reinforcing the harmonies between stanzas. Kate Smith repeated the song on her 1950s TV series on NBC as well as her 1960 CBS shows.

Since then especially because it is easier to sing it has become the most popular unofficial American Anthem. However it does not merit the respect of a national anthem and those who do not choose to stand should not be subject to criticism or abuse.

Of interest Berlin assigned the royalties of the song to the” God Bless America Fund for Redistribution to the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of USA”.

This is the first of a series on citizen respect for religion and nation and the relationships to the constitution. I hope they will be informative and perhaps instructive.