Biography: Francis Scott Key and Stephan Collins Foster

Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key was born on August 1, 1780. He also died on January 11, 1843. His father was Revolutionary officer, John Ross Key. Key went to St John’s college and studied law in his uncle Philip Barton Key’s office. He began practicing law in Fredrick City, Maryland, but shortly after moved to Washington where he was the dristrict attorney for the District of Columbia. In the War of 1812, Key, accompanied by Colonel John Stuart Skinner, he boared apon the HMS Tonnant to request that the British release prisoners, including Dr. William Beanes. The British did not like this request and held the two men in captive during the bombarding of American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. When it was all over and the smoke cleared, Francis Scott Key was still able to see the American Flag standing and he told his fellow prisoners held capative on the boat with him. He was so inspired by this moment that he wrote a poem about the experience named, “The Defence of Fort McHenry” which he later published in the Partriot on Septemeber 10, 1814. He worte it with the intentions to put it on top of the sythms of composer John Staffords Smith’s “To Anacreon in Heaven”. This song is now known as “The Star Spangled Banner” and was made the national anthem in 1916.

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Stephan Collins Foster

Stephan Collins Foster was born July 4, 1826 and died January 13, 1864. He is best knows as the "father of American music.” Stephan Collins Foster was also considered the pre-eminent songwritter in the United States of America during the 19th century. He is well known for his songs that remain popular today like “Oh! Susanna”, “Camptown Races”, “Old Folks at Home” , “Hard Times Come Again No More”, “My Old Kentucky Home”, “Old Black Joe”, and “Beautiful Dreamer”. He was born and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Jeffseron College for a brief time, where his grandfather was once a trustee. It is not know whether he left so abruptly willingly or was forced to leave. Foster lived in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1846 where he became a bookkepper and wrote his first song, “Oh! Sussana.” It became the anthem of the California Gold Rush between 1848 and 1849. In 1854 he wrote, “ Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair,” for his wife Jane Denny McDowell. Many of Stephan Collins Foster’s songs had a Southern theme although he never actually lived in the South and only visited it but once. Some consdier him to be innovative for trying to make a living as a professional songwritter due to the fact that his feild had not yet developed.

"Stephen Foster -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Foster>.