9. Francis Scott Key did more than write The Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key is known in the United States for having written a poem during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry and Baltimore in 1814, which was later set to the tune of an old English drinking song, and which eventually became the United States’ National Anthem. Key was a lawyer of considerable renown when he boarded HMS Tonnant to dine with British admirals Cochrane and Cockburn, as well as General Robert Ross, to negotiate a prisoner exchange. The three British officers had supervised the burning of Washington DC three weeks earlier. Because Key had seen the strength of the British forces bearing down upon Baltimore he was detained aboard, and thus was present to observe the failed British attack and compose the verses for which he is famous.
Key was a lawyer of considerable reputation and importance, representing the arguments of presidents before the Supreme Court, including during the conspiracy trial of Aaron Burr. Key was also a prominent opponent of slavery (though he owned slaves himself, a living example of America’s dilemma over the issue), and was a founding member of the American Colonization Society, which raised funds for the colonization of Africa by freed slaves and other free blacks. Key manumitted his slaves in the 1830s, and represented slaves arguing for their freedom in court. It was also Francis Scott Key who prosecuted the man who was the first to attempt to assassinate an American president, Richard Lawrence, whose pistols misfired when he tried to shoot Andrew Jackson. Francis Scott Key should be remembered for many things besides the song which became the National Anthem in 1931.