Oh Say Can You See…

Speaker: Eric Mease

Recently, the “Star Spangled Banner,” our National Anthem, has been a touch stone for civil rights issues and national controversy. Its words were born out of national crisis, written by a man who was himself no stranger to controversy — the song’s melody originated with a British men’s club celebrating wine and sex. This lecture explores the origin of the song, the author, a few of the controversies, and the times during which our anthem was conceived.