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Alternative Fact...

Is the Star Spangled Banner a British pub song and does it celebrate slavery?

While being held on a British warship in the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key watched the British bombard Baltimore's Fort McHenry.



Not only did the fort withstand the shelling, but so did the American flag flying over the fort.



That inspired Key to write the words to the Star Spangled Banner.



But Key - a slave owner who fought to enforce slavery laws - had more to say. In the third verse, he wrote mockingly about slaves who fought for the British in exchange for their freedom.



It was put to the tune of a British drinking song, and became the national anthem in 1931 - more than a century later.

For more, read the Washington Post story.