The third stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner celebrates the death of Black slaves attempting to flee to the British in exchange for freedom during the War of 1812. Since the Star-Spangled Banner only became our national anthem in 1931, it's not as deeply embedded into our culture as we may believe. We must replace the Star-Spangled Banner with a national anthem that is inclusive, patriotic, yet respectively confronts the darkest parts of our history, while reminding us that we are in a constant state of bettering ourselves as a nation.
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