Revisting The Legacy Of Francis Scott Key Some people believe that an artist and their art can be separated. His sentiments have elicited sympathy from some prominent cultural and political figures, including singer John Legend, who took to Twitter last week to call the anthem “weak.” President Obama defended Kaepernick, telling reporters Monday that the football star “cares about some real legitimate issues that have to be talked about. On March 4, 1931, President Herbert Hoover officially made The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States. (He has taken a knee during some performances.) The athlete has cited police brutality against black people and other forms of racial injustice for his refusal to stand for the anthem. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has thrust the song - and its complicated backstory - into the national conversation after his recent refusals to stand when the anthem is played during NFL games.

To this colorful history, football player Colin Kaepernick adds another refrain of discontent. Music notes for sheet music by Warren Wiegratz, Francis Scott Key, and John Stafford Smith: Sheet Music To Play Editions at Sheet Music Plus.

“It was an exhaustive process,” said Mark Hildebrand, the director of the 2012 documentary “Anthem - the Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner.” But the debate ended when President Hoover signed the bill into law, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” has remained the national anthem ever since. Print and Download The Star Spangled Banner sheet music.

The star spangled banner song