How the National Anthem Became a Part of Sports-- Part 2: Both North and South Wanted It During Civil War

During the Civil War, both the North and the South wrestled over who would claim "The Star-Spangled Banner" as their own.  The North won.

Ironically, the Confederacy's anthem, "Dixie" was written by an anti-slavery Northerner while the National Anthem was written by a slave-owning Southerner whose family supported the Confederacy long after Keys' death in 1843.

--Old Secesh