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Event Series: America on Screen

America on Screen: A Star-Spangled Story

September 11 @ 2:00 pm 3:00 pm

Join us on select Friday afternoons for a special film series commemorating America’s 250th: Anniversary: America on Screen. Enjoy screenings of Smithsonian Channel programs that explore the people, places, and stories that shaped America.

A Star-Spangled Story: Battle for America

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is known by all, treasured for its powerful melody and stirring lyrics. And yet, only about 40% of U.S. citizens know all the words. And even fewer know their meaning. Join us as we travel back to 1814, when Washington D.C. was under British attack during the “Second War of Independence,” and the very bricks and mortar of American democracy were reduced to smoking rubble. We examine the battle that inspired witness Francis Scott Key to immortalize its final moments, then reveal how his poem transformed into an anthem.

51 minute

Included with museum admission. No registration required.

Presented courtesy of the Smithsonian Channel.