
I frankly am more offended by people who wear the flag as a pair of short pants. On September 14, 1814, the Battle of Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to write 'The Star-Spangled Banner. Said Wickham, “I’m a Vietnam veteran and I’m not offended by someone who peacefully protests at the playing of the National Anthem. On the other side, dissatisfaction with Francis Scott Key may have spurred vandals to deface a Baltimore statue of the composer with red paint and the slogan “Racist Anthem.”ĭeWayne Wickham, dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan State, where the documentary was produced, said, “There are so many people who know so little about history, including, apparently, the president of the United States.” “Why would I stand for something that’s not standing for me?” His attitude upon learning of the third verse was, “OK, this national anthem is not intended for African-Americans.” And considering that the NFL is predominantly black, he sees no inconsistency in protesting. He adds that "slave" was a common epithet, hurled at blacks and whites, and that "hireling and slave" was likely a criticism of the British use of involuntary conscripts and mercenaries.īut Saunders is unconvinced. Walter Olson, writing in The National Review, points out that nobody asked Key what he was implying. RELATED: WWII veteran, 97, kneels in support of protests Photograph by Eli Pousson, 2017 September 13.RELATED: Falcons explain why they knelt during National Anthem Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Monument vandalized, police say, WBAL.‘Racist Anthem’ spray painted on 106-year-old Francis Scott Key statue in Baltimore, Baltimore Sun.Francis Scott Key Monument ( B-65 ), Maryland Historical Trust.On the other hand, slavery was evil and Francis Scott Key was a slaveowner. Francis Scott Key Monument, Explore Baltimore Heritage In a lot of ways, it’s not fair to judge someone through 20th century standards, he said.CHAP and city agencies are working to have the paint and graffiti removed by an art conservator as quickly as possible. We have also reached out to the Bolton Hill Architectural Review Committee to alert neighbors to the situation and to help monitor the monument.

The Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks was notified about the condition of the monument early this morning and reached out to the Baltimore City Police Department, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, and other city agencies to file a police report and consider next steps. Photograph by Eli Pousson, 2017 September 13.
WAS FRANCIS SCOTT KEY A RACIST FREE
As a member of the Maryland State Colonization Society, Key also promoted the removal of free black people from Maryland to a colony in present-day Liberia. Francis Scott Key’s legacy as a slave holder was the subject of a 2016 post from Smithsonian Magazine and a 2014 biography. The journalist Jon Schwarz, writing in The Intercept, argued yes, denouncing the lyrics, written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, as a celebration of slavery. The words are a reference to the black men who escaped from slavery in Maryland and Virginia to join the British in their fight against the United States government during the War of 1812. The third stanza of the poem includes controversial lines: No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave. “No refuge could save, Hireling or slave,įrom terror of flight, Or gloom of grave” Over the years, many have deemed the national anthem a racist poem for its controversial stanzas and what it represents. The man who made it who uses the bathroom in his apron and doesn't wash his hands, is the author of our national anthem, Francis Scott Key, who, as it turns out, was a terrible human being. The spray painted graffiti on the east side of the stone curb surrounding the monument fountain included “Blood on his hands,” “Racist Anthem,” “Fuck FSK,” and “Hater U Just Mad.” On the pavement in front of the monument was written “Slave Owner” and one of the lesser-known stanzas that make up Key’s Star-Spangled Banner: Photograph by Eli Pousson, 2017 September 13. Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to the U.S.

You can see more photographs of the Key Monument and the graffiti in our Flickr album. The statue was dedicated on May 15, 1911, and restored in 1999 after a major fundraising campaign by local residents.

WAS FRANCIS SCOTT KEY A RACIST FULL
This morning, we learned that the Francis Scott Key Monument at Eutaw Place was splashed with red paint over night and the stone pedestal at the center of the monument was spray painted with the words “Racist Anthem.” The monument by French sculptor Marius Jean Antonin Mercié shows Key standing in a marble rowboat next to a seated bronze sailor. Key died of pleurisy on Januafter a full life and successful career.
