Quote:If you say so, but, having never heard or even read the verse before:

 

"No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,"

 

sure sounds like the [BAD WORD REMOVED] the Americans were kicking were those of mercenaries and escaped slaves.  And right or wrong, Key was happy about it.  If you were a slave and got to the British side, you were free.  Free to fight against the system that enslaved you.  Our national anthem celebrates vanquishing the dreams of those slaves.

 

Not that it matters.  Any verse but the 1st of the national anthem is kinda worthless anyway.

Seems like you missed my post so I'll send it again....

 

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">For instance that article claims that

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">No refuge could save the hireling and slave"   

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Is a reference to black slaves being killed. When in reality it refers to the british use of german mercenaries in the war and the british use of impressment where they would force and kidnap american seamen to serve on british ships, If i'm not mistaken that was one of the biggest causes of the war in 1812. 

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Of course the author of that article didn't actually know any of this so he put his own spin on what it meant.

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