{"id":2210410,"date":"2024-04-01T08:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T12:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftists-waste-no-time-in-attacking-legacy-of-francis-scott-key-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse\/"},"modified":"2024-04-01T08:04:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T12:04:37","slug":"leftists-waste-no-time-in-attacking-legacy-of-francis-scott-key-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftists-waste-no-time-in-attacking-legacy-of-francis-scott-key-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Left-leaning critics swiftly criticize Francis Scott Key&#8217;s legacy following Baltimore bridge incident"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fleftists-waste-no-time-in-attacking-legacy-of-francis-scott-key-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2210410&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The left quickly seized on the\u2064 Baltimore bridge collapse to criticize Francis Scott Key,\u200b portraying it as an opportunity to vilify America&#8217;s\u2062 past. Key, known for writing &#8220;The Star-Spangled Banner,&#8221; has faced ongoing\u2063 scrutiny from revisionist historians. Calls \u2064to remove his name \u200cfrom the\u200d bridge highlight the\u2064 ongoing \u2063debate on historical figures and their legacies. Following the Baltimore bridge collapse, critics on \u2062the left wasted \u2064no time using the incident to scrutinize Francis Scott Key, famous for composing &#8220;The Star-Spangled Banner.&#8221; Key has long \u2063been a target \u2063of revisionist historians. The push to rename the bridge underscores the ongoing discussion\u2063 surrounding historical figures and their reputations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Almost immediately after the Francis Scott Key Bridge fell into the Baltimore Harbor, the vulturous left began circling the wreckage, seeing the tragedy as an opportunity to disparage America\u2019s past.<\/p>\n<p>The bridge\u2019s namesake, famous lawyer-poet Francis Scott Key, has been a target of ridicule for anti-American revisionist historians for several years now. With the destruction of the bridge, the left all-too-gladly resumed its effort to erase Key\u2019s memory from our national consciousness as a part of its endless crusade against notable figures in American history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-98972685\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9ba79734c171237483281a93e4a14f46 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9ba79734c171237483281a93e4a14f46\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWho was Francis Scott Key, the controversial poet the bridge is named after?\u201d The Washington Post breathlessly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/history\/2024\/03\/27\/francis-scott-key-history-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a>. After summarizing Key\u2019s life and begrudgingly recounting the inherent heroism of how Key authored \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d during the Battle of Baltimore amid the War of 1812, the article descends into baseless accusations unmoored from fact.<\/p>\n<p>The Post alleged that \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d did not become the national anthem until 1931 \u201cbecause of controversy\u201d surrounding the poem, \u201cpartly over Key\u2019s racist views.\u201d The third stanza\u2019s reference to \u201cthe hireling and slave,\u201d the author claimed, \u201cwas intended to mock or threaten African Americans who escaped slavery to join the British forces, after being promised land in exchange for their service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, some activists have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theroot.com\/rebuild-the-francis-scott-key-bridge-in-baltimore-but-1851368486\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">demanded<\/a> that the rebuilt bridge drop the Francis Scott Key name altogether, claiming that since Key owned slaves, renaming it after him would be another of America\u2019s \u201cspit-in-the-face insults to Black Americans.\u201d Similarly, Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepMikeCollins\/status\/1772643661148262795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suggested<\/a> that Baltimore\u2019s current leaders would\u00a0undoubtedly rename the bridge when it came time, asking his social media followers to throw out their jocular predictions for the new name. But before we leap headlong into erasing Key, we should examine whether there\u00a0is any merit to the allegations or if it is just another historical hit job. <\/p>\n<p>The record shows the left\u2019s claims are either not true or seriously misrepresented. The phrase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stevenson.edu\/academics\/undergraduate-programs\/history\/blog-news-events\/racism-or-rhetoric-francis-scott-key-and-the-defence-of-fort-mchenry\/\">\u201chireling and slave\u201d<\/a> had been used in military poems since at least the Revolutionary War to refer to British soldiers, highlighting their servile service to the tyrannical English rule. There is no evidence to suggest Key intended a racial reading of what was, at the time, a familiar phrase. A much more plausible interpretation of \u201chireling and slave\u201d was that it referred to the mercenary forces hired by England and to the fact that the British navy quite literally would enslave foreign sailors and force them to fight \u2014 this was even one of the primary causes leading to the War of 1812.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-49c32ae4e58bfa66f97893796047cef8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-49c32ae4e58bfa66f97893796047cef8\"><\/div>\n<p>For nearly two centuries, \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d was enjoyed by virtually all aspects of American society. Indeed, the black soldiers who fought for the Union in the Civil War (many of whom had been enslaved) routinely sang Key\u2019s song, enjoying the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Black-Phalanx-History-Soldiers-1775-1812\/dp\/0548348316\/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gSKIF5c0ESNTxn9e40Hu2nN6LflCWVt7JzQeRwiRkih3RtnjxHX_I9yQBr-gRl7UxKf8-Utg9DNxRATH48oRafhgwck3g33bwOJbkRC2INt8puFLUGo__pRbcQU3hcY3bp8IFS6sggsJvRcmZ6dK-IJBlLVyEiCtq1JFW2P1oN9Fl2ExPIiv9gamns_AiIhnka1kBPkf7RHe4E5z1E22C7h8hpSBWrzFQVh90NGcIGfNwAo9szSWxg9f-GXI9sQuCYd79MAOoXg457JQ-4psZECb5d8k24eohyGOegMNhlE.VRFKyTJzSq8fTbRJK6dKSLOtuBZmDj2_w25WqxBoBGA&#038;dib_tag=se&#038;keywords=The+Black+Phalanx%3B+A+History+of+the+Negro+Soldiers+of+the+United+States+in+the+Wars+of&#038;qid=1711937107&#038;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thrilling notes, soaring above the battles\u2019 gales<\/a>.\u201d During the debates over which song would become the national anthem in the early 1900s, no one suggested a racial interpretation of the poem, according to several national <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/cu31924021778125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a> weighing the song\u2019s merits. To assert that \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d disparaged black slaves is historical revisionism par excellence.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the national anthem\u2019s text, Key was well known as an active anti-slavery proponent. For over 40 years, he regularly represented enslaved African Americans in court pro bono, successfully winning freedom for hundreds of men, women, and children.<\/p>\n<p>In 1825, Key argued the case of the <em>Antelope <\/em>before the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States, urging the court to liberate several hundred Africans who had been brought to America on an illegal slave ship. During the trial, he boldly asserted that the men should be freed and even went so far as to deny that slavery had any legal grounds whatsoever, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/supremecourt\/text\/23\/66\">declaring<\/a> that \u201cby the law of nature all men are free.\u201d Key was so eloquent in his denunciations of the slave trade and support for freedom that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/07038342\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">observers<\/a> favorably compared him to famed English abolitionist William Wilberforce.<\/p>\n<p>As Key continued to argue for the legal rights of African Americans, he became notable within Washington, D.C., for his anti-slavery views. In 1835, white laborers incited a riot over race in the capitol. Key, who was the district attorney at the time, became a target of the mob, and his house eventually had to be guarded by armed soldiers because he was \u201ca reputed abolitionist.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-89984e7c6d41db3e34bad03eaa3e0912 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-89984e7c6d41db3e34bad03eaa3e0912\"><\/div>\n<p>At the end of his life, Key himself explained, \u201cNo northern man began the world with more enthusiasm against slavery than I did.\u201d He <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.princeton.edu\/catalog\/991069893506421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">added<\/a>, \u201cFor forty years and upwards \u2026 I have always been endeavoring to aid in promoting [abolition], and do so still.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Key died in 1837, friends recalled that he \u201cdeplored the existence of slavery as a mighty evil.\u201d Even his proslavery enemies agreed with this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/What-So-Proudly-We-Hailed\/dp\/1137278285\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">assessment<\/a>, referring to Key as the \u201cThe N\u2014-r Lawyer\u201d due to his constant and effective courtroom efforts on behalf of African Americans. One congressman derisively remarked, \u201cIt may safely be said, (for I have not only heard it a hundred times in conversation, but have seen it stated in the public prints of the District,) that if there is one man in the District of Columbia more obnoxious to the people than another on the question of Abolition, it is this same District Attorney, Mr. Key.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, none of this is to say that Key\u2019s views on race would satisfy the radical demands of the modern iconoclasts \u2014 but then again, nothing could. It is true that Key owned slaves, inheriting them from his father. But it is also true that he freed virtually all of them and personally ensured they received the necessary training and education to succeed in freedom.<\/p>\n<p>It must be remembered that history is never as simple as one might like. The past was exactly like our current time \u2014 complicated. The circumstances of the day dictated and limited how far one\u2019s desire to abolish slavery could go.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in one instance, Key traveled to Pennsylvania to emancipate his farm manager and then hired him as a freeman to continue working for him. Inversely, at one <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/sim_african-repository_1836-11_12_11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">point<\/a> Key \u201cpurchased\u201d an African American at the man\u2019s own request to prevent him from being separated from his family. While it would be better to then subsequently free the slave after purchase, oftentimes prohibitive government regulations and the additional cost of emancipation complicated the question. \u201cShall he refuse to do the lesser charity,\u201d Key asked, \u201cbecause he has not means to do the greater?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the historical record shows that Key strove to do the most he could to help insofar as the law allowed him to. For his time, Key was a radical proponent of freedom, regularly putting his professional future and personal safety on the line to advance the cause of liberty. His beautiful poem commemorating the startling victory of a young American nation over the British during the Battle of Baltimore should not be cast away due to the attacks by left-wing ideologues.<\/p>\n<p>In the face of a constant barrage against our history, let us stand proudly, as the national anthem says, by \u201cthe star-spangled banner \u2014 O long may it wave!\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3ab093dd6595ab94fc50b3d9453dc9d8 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3ab093dd6595ab94fc50b3d9453dc9d8\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shortly after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor, left-wing critics wasted no time using the incident to denigrate America&#8217;s history. Francis Scott Key, the bridge&#8217;s namesake, has long been a target of revisionist historians seeking to undermine his legacy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2393,"featured_media":2210411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_-_2010.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2210410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_-_2010.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2393"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2210410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2210411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2210410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2210410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2210410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}