[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 130 (Thursday, September 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5554-S5555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I wish to recognize the bicentennial
of our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, and of Defenders Day.
I thank Senator Cardin, my partner in the Senate, for submitting a
resolution to commemorate this occasion. Defenders Day, which inspired
our national anthem, is momentous in the history of our Nation, the
State of Maryland, and the City of Baltimore.
Two hundred years ago, the brave City of Baltimore led the way in the
War of 1812 defending our Nation and holding the American line. Our
troops stopped the British advance and claimed a much-needed victory
for Baltimore and for the Nation.
Some call the War of 1812 the forgotten war. I believe it was the war
that forged our Nation. As the United States entered the war, it was a
loose collection of States. As we emerged from it, we were on the path
to becoming a true Nation.
It was also during this war at the Battle of Baltimore that we gained
an enduring icon of national patriotism in our National anthem,
inspired by the naval battle at Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry is now a
revered National monument and a historic shrine.
The Battle of Baltimore was a rousing victory in the dark days
following the British attack on our Capitol. The British had just
burned Washington, setting our Capitol and White House ablaze, and
hurting America's morale.
Less than a month later, the British sent a fleet of ships toward
Baltimore sailing up the Bay to break America at the war's frontline in
what is known today as Patterson Park, but first they had to get past
Fort McHenry.
The British bombed the Fort for twenty-five consecutive hours.
Nearby, a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key watched from a ship
where he was being held. When the smoke cleared on the morning of
September 14, 1814, he saw the fifteen stars and fifteen stripes of the
American flag streaming over the Fort. He was so thrilled that despite
the bombs bursting in the air, ``our flag was still there.'' He went on
to write the lines of the song that later became our National anthem,
the Star Spangled Banner.
That day the line was held in Baltimore in our young country's war
against the world's most powerful Nation. Fort McHenry has made
history, and Fort McHenry has seen history. I am proud to represent
Fort McHenry and Baltimore, and I encourage the passage of this
resolution commemorating Fort McHenry, Defenders Day, and the Star
Spangled Banner.
Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today to commemorate the
bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812's Battle of Baltimore. The
State of Maryland is proud of its contributions to this ``Second War
for Independence,'' which reinforced United States sovereignty and gave
birth to our national anthem. While Star-Spangled 200 events are
already underway in my home State, I wish to spend a few minutes to
discuss the War of 1812 and the story of Francis Scott Key's poem
``Defense of Fort M'Henry.''
A generation after the United States declared its independence from
Great Britain, the mercantilist ties between the two countries were not
fully severed. The British impressed American merchant seamen, enforced
illegal and unfair trade regulations, colluded with certain Native
American tribes to attack frontier settlements, and attempted to block
westward expansion. The United States declared war to reassert autonomy
over its own affairs, establish free trade, protect sailors' rights,
and ensure that our Nation could prosper from sea to shining sea.
President James Madison eloquently outlined these justifications more
than 200 years ago when he called on ``all the good people of the
United States, as they love their country, as they value the precious
heritage derived from the virtue and valor of their fathers . . . . .
[to] exert themselves in preserving order, in promoting concord, in
maintaining the authority and efficacy of the laws, and in supporting
and invigorating all the measures which may be adopted by the
constituted authorities for obtaining a speedy, a just, and an
honorable peace.''
The contributions of the U.S. Navy were instrumental in repelling the
British during the War of 1812. The U.S. Navy barely had a dozen
warships compared to the hundreds of ships comprising the British
fleet. British ships were undermanned, however, while well-trained and
talented officers and seamen took command of American ships. These men
were largely from coastal States, like Maryland, and
[[Page S5555]]
were accustomed to seafaring. Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry
took on the British Navy on Lake Erie in 1813 with a scrappy fleet of
light ships. Even though his force was seemingly decimated by the
British, Master Commandant Perry resorted to paddling a rowboat with a
banner that read ``Don't Give up the Ship.'' He then boarded the USS
Niagara, double-loaded the carronades, and sailed directly into the
British line, ultimately claiming victory.
The following summer, in 1814, the British Navy sailed up the
Chesapeake Bay to attack our Nation's capital and seize the valuable
port city of Baltimore. The British dealt heavy blows to Washington,
DC, setting both the U.S. Capitol and the Executive Mansion--which we
now know as the White House--ablaze. British forces then moved toward
Baltimore. Citizens of Baltimore, including free Blacks, quickly
mobilized to protect their city. Barricades stretching more than one
mile long were constructed to protect the harbor, hulls were sunk to
impede navigation, and a chain of masts was erected across the harbor
entrance. When the British fleet approached Baltimore at North Point,
Marylanders fought the British Army and helped repulse the British Navy
from Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore. It is important to
note that American forces during the Battle of North Point were
volunteer militia, heavily outnumbered by the highly trained British
infantry, but they managed to delay the British forces long enough for
10,000 American reinforcements to arrive, preventing a land attack
against Baltimore. Following 25 hours of intense British naval
bombardment at Fort McHenry by more than 1,600 cannonballs, the
American defenders refused to yield, and the British were forced to end
the Chesapeake Campaign and withdraw.
During the British bombardment, American lawyer Francis Scott Key,
who was being held on board an American flag-of-truce vessel in
Baltimore Harbor, took notice of the American flag still flying atop
Fort McHenry. Key realized then that the Americans had survived the
battle and had stopped the enemy advance. He was so moved by the sight
of the American flag flying following the horrific bombardment, he
composed a poem called ``The Defense of Fort M'Henry,'' which was
published in the Baltimore Patriot & Advertiser newspaper later that
year. This poem, and later the song, inspired love of country among the
American people and not only helped usher in the ``era of good
feelings'' immediately after the war, but became a timeless reminder of
American resolve. ``The Star Spangled Banner'' officially became our
national anthem in 1931. The flag that flew over Fort McHenry and
inspired this anthem is now a national treasure on display at the
Smithsonian Institution, a very short distance from where we are today.
The War of 1812 confirmed the legitimacy of the Revolution and served
as a critical test for the U.S. Constitution and newly established
democratic government. Our young Nation battled against the largest,
most powerful military on the Earth at that time and emerged with an
enhanced standing among the countries of the world, both militarily and
diplomatically. The U.S. economy was freed of its dependence on British
goods, which unleashed domestic manufacturing and spawned the
industrial revolution. The U.S. Navy proved its worth and the U.S.
Congress rewarded the Navy with funding for a permanent, more expansive
fleet. A new generation of Americans too young to remember Lord
Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, which effectively ended the
Revolutionary War, and an older generation proud of defending American
independence twice in their lifetimes, were inspired by Francis Scott
Key's words, which embody our universal feelings of patriotism and
courage.
I am proud that Maryland will lead the Star-Spangled 200 celebration,
a 3-year celebration that began with Baltimore's ``Sailabration'' in
June 2012. The Navy's Blue Angels treated more than 1.5 million
spectators to dazzling air shows; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
premiered the ``Overture for 2012,''' composed by Philip Glass; and
forty-six tall ships and naval warships from around the world anchored
in the Inner Harbor, open for public tours. Through the course of 2014,
Maryland will host numerous events along the Star-Spangled Banner
National Historic Trail to commemorate the Chesapeake Campaign, and at
the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine to celebrate the
bicentennial of the Battle of Baltimore. This weekend, the Star-
Spangled Spectacular celebration will conclude with a fireworks display
over Fort McHenry that Francis Scott Key would be proud of. These
ceremonies are an opportunity to showcase to the world that Maryland is
an exceptional place with a rich, colorful, and important history.
I am also proud that the U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a resolution
I sponsored in the 112th Congress--S. Res. 388--to mark the beginning
of the bicentennial of the War, to celebrate the heroism of the
American people during the conflict, and to recognize the various
organizations involved in the bicentennial celebration, including the
U.S. Armed Forces, the National Park Service, and the Maryland War of
1812 Bicentennial Commission.
The Senate may soon consider another resolution I have sponsored,
along with my colleagues, the senior Senator from Maryland (Ms.
Mikulski) and the junior Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker), to
commemorate the bicentennial of the Battle of Baltimore and the
creation of the Star-Spangled Banner, which officially became our
national anthem in 1931. As we recognize all of these ongoing efforts
during this commemorative period, I encourage all Americans to remember
the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to defend our Nation's
freedom and democracy in its infancy, and to join in the bicentennial
celebration of our victory in the War of 1812.
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