The words to the Star-Spangled-Banner turn 200 years old this September.
Lawyer Francis Scott Key was a devout Anglican church-goer who opposed the War of 1812 which produced the stirring anthem. His fourth verse included the words "In God We Trust" and reflects the passion of the Second Great Awakening which was transforming the country.
His views on slavery were complex – he called it a "bed of torture" but apparently prosecuted abolitionists, perhaps reflecting the moral dilemma of the age.
No doubt though about his sincere religious convictions as he was a warm supporter of the American Bible Society in 1818 until his death in 1843. By then the Society was disseminating 300,000 Bibles a year – an astonishing total for a nation of 13 million.