Origins of the National Anthem

Learn the origins of the U.S. National Anthem at this talk on Saturday, June 8, at 1 pm, at the (former) Union Hotel, at 401 West Main Street, in Sackets Harbor.

Dr. Melissane Schrems, an associate professor of history at St. Lawrence University, will present the talk “Both a Threat and a Promise: ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ as a Timeless Commitment to American Democratic Freedoms.” Attendees will have the opportunity to sing the U.S. National Anthem and learn its origins and history. Discover how this treasured song embodies a continued commitment to American Democracy.

This talk is part of the programming associated with Voices and Votes: Democracy in America exhibition that’s currently on display in Sackets Harbor. Both the traveling exhibition and this talk explore a number of fundamental questions that impact Americans: who has the right to vote, what are the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens, and whose voices will be heard? Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will be a springboard for discussions about those very questions and how they are reflected in local stories.

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, and its accompanying programming, is presented by the Smithsonian Institution Museum on Main Street in cooperation with the Museum Association of New York (MANY), the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site, and Hay Memorial Library.

The exhibition will be open to the public in Sackets Harbor Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm, and on Saturdays, from 10 am to 4 pm. Its last day in the village will be Saturday, June 29; the exhibition will then move on to Seneca Falls.

For more information on this talk and the full exhibition, please contact the Sackets Harbor Battlefield by phone at 315-646-3634 or visit their website.