Star-Spangled Banner

The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem
Erscheinungsjahr 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4214-1518-5
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 328 Seiten, Format (B × H): 159 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 572 g

The first comprehensive history of America’s controversial national anthem and how it evolved from an English barroom ballad into a patriotic hit.

Nearly every American knows The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States of America. Yet many people dislike the song, contend that it glorifies militarism, and question its suitability as the musical embodiment of nationhood. Even professional vocalists have trouble singing the multi-octave melody and remembering the words. So why in 1931 did Congress designate it as the official national anthem, more than a century after Francis Scott Key put pen to paper?

Filled with fascinating, little-known facts drawn from a variety of primary sources, Star-Spangled Banner provides the first narrative history of this controversial song, which turns 200 years old in 2014. Marc Ferris’s lively account, which traces the evolution of the song’s instant popularity as well as its use and abuse by Americans of different political stripes, also explains the changing rituals surrounding the song, including the practice of standing—with hats removed and hand held over the heart—during public performances.

This entertaining book will appeal to patriots of all persuasions, along with sports fans, musicians, veterans, history buffs, and anyone who has ever struggled to hit the high notes in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ferris, Marc

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Geschichte der Musik
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Zentralregierung
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Amerikanische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. Anthem before a Nation, 1814–1860
2. American Dischord, 1860–1865
3. Striving to Reunify, 1865–1900
4. Duties and Customs, 1880–1910
5. Stars and Stripes Forever, 1890–1920
6. Marching under the Banner, 1898–1931
7. Trials and Triumphs, 1931–1954
8. Star-Spangled Conflict, 1954–1963
9. Postmodern Patriotism, 1964–2014
Epilogue
Appendix: The Original Words of The Star-Spangled Banner
Notes
Further Reading
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Ferris, Marc
Marc Ferris earned an M.A. in history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsday, Time Out New York, Spin, Vibe, and elsewhere.

Marc Ferris earned an M.A. in history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsday, Time Out New York, Spin, Vibe, and elsewhere.