Baltimore One of The Top Cities For Tech Start-Ups
The City of Baltimore has a lot going for it. First, Forbes magazine named Baltimore one of the top cities for tech start-ups in the nation. Second, Baltimore is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the heart of our nation’s capital. Besides having those first two distinctions, Baltimore is also known for being the second-largest seaport in the United States.
Do you need another reason to prove that Baltimore is a great place to live and work? Baltimore also has a proud place in our country’s history as being the birthplace of our national anthem — The Star Spangled Banner.
Let’s learn the brief history of our flag and national anthem, as well as Baltimore’s role in the events.
You should have learned in grade school that Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. She completed this task in 1776 while living in Philadelphia. The original flag had 13 stars and 13 stripes, which symbolized the 13 original colonies.
Let’s fast forward a few years to the War of 1812. Those pesky British were still after the United States but for different reasons this time.
During a battle against the British Navy that occurred in the Baltimore Harbor, a lawyer and amateur poet wrote several stanzas of a piece that he titled, “Defence of Fort McHenry.”
The story goes that the lawyer, named Francis Scott Key, was so overcome by seeing the American soldiers raise the flag (then depicting 15 stars) that he was inspired to write the poem.
He later decided to put the words of his poem to the tune of a British drinking song.
Quickly, the song gained popularity. Although it was undoubtedly a patriotic song, it’s official use was limited to the U.S. Navy. It became an official song of that institution in 1889.
It wasn’t until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson presented a congressional resolution that the “The Star Spangled Banner” should become the national anthem. President Herbert Hoover completed the final signature that sealed the deal in 1931.
Baltimore is proud of its essential role in the development of the U.S. National Anthem. Even though the original text of Key’s poem is held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C, several historic sites celebrate the anthem within Baltimore.
Visitors to the city can see the Fort McHenry National Monument. There, visitors can see an exhibit of artifacts from the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. You can also learn more about the writing of the poem that later became our anthem.
While you are in the city, also stop by the Star Spangled Banner House, which is the site where the flag was sewn that flew over Fort McHenry on that fateful day. This home was the location of the all-female flag-making business led by Mrs. Pickersgill. Pickersgill was hired to make that fated flag “large enough that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a great distance.”
Visit Baltimore to learn more about our nation’s history.
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