So beside the anthem, his political legacy as a critical political player in upholding slavery is devastating. Supreme Court, which he helped shape, stood strongly for slavery. He liked it that way.Īs he grew older and darker, Key sought to buttress slavery, known as our own “peculiar institution.” He did just that, past his last breath. Lawyer-poet Key, born to massive slaveholding wealth in Maryland, was one of the richest men in America. Whatever side you’re on, we all need to know the roots of “The Star-Spangled Banner” run deep in slavery’s soil. But the backstory and crosscurrents of the anthem are as unresolved as the NFL player challenges still likely to come on game days. It might seem like Key is up past his historical bedtime. His actions, joined by other players, drew President Donald Trump’s fury and divided public opinion. How deep is seldom told.įor the record, Kaepernick’s peaceful protest was aimed at police brutality toward black men. And the Texans owner Bob McNair caught flack when he compared NFL players to inmates during a meeting about player protests.Īlthough it’s unlikely that the national anthem will be completely removed anytime soon, it’s important for the NAACP to reveal the truth about America’s ugly past when it comes to race.Whatever side you’re on, we all need to know the roots of “The Star-Spangled Banner” anthem run deep in slavery’s soil. NFL owners such as Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys warned his players against protesting. The racist lyrics often go ignored, but the NAACP believe it’s time that the song be removed.įollowing Kaepernick’s protest, he was blackballed from the NFL as quarterbacks with less talent have been signed in 2017. No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: / And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave, / O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” “And where is that band who so vauntingly swore / That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion, / A home and a country, should leave us no more? / Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution. The lyrics in question occur in the third stanza of the “Star Spangled Banner.” And due to the racist lyrics, the NAACP is hoping to get the national anthem removed.

What started as a silent protest by Colin Kaepernick became an issue that is usually separated along racial lines.īut the national anthem is drenched in racism against Blacks. The national anthem has become a political tool since Trump’s attack on NFL players who choose to protest.

Racist american national anthem lyrics