Oh Say, Can You See? – July 02, 2000
“Oh say, can you see?”1 When author Francis Scott Key saw the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry, Maryland, the morning after a battle with the British in the War of 1812, he knew the Americans had not been defeated. With great enthusiasm he penned “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Nowadays the red, white, and blue flag, with its broad stripes and bright stars, continues to remind us of battles won and of our values, beliefs, and dreams. But only when we look beyond the colored cloth do we see the larger meaning of this great emblem of our nation. As we do, we can see faithful pilgrims finding a place to worship as they please, and pioneers taming a new land. We envision George Washington crossing the Delaware and leading a young nation; likewise, Abraham Lincoln struggling to keep that nation together. Tired and poor immigrants at Ellis Island come into view. And Rosa Parks remaining seated. We can picture young marines hoisting the flag at Iwo Jima and astronauts planting the flag on the moon. We see the familiar amber waves of grain among the rich bounties of nature from border to border and from coast to coast. Throughout the land, we see the blessings of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
As we look further still, we can see hardworking parents of every race and creed sacrificing personal freedom in the pursuit of happiness and domestic tranquility for their families. We see free enterprise built on handshakes, and the hope of opportunity sustained by the truth that all of us are created equal. Hats off, hands over hearts, tears in eyes are seen before every baseball game. We observe peaceful assemblies of people speaking their minds, publishing new ideas, casting votes, and exercising religious beliefs according to the dictates of their own conscience. Millions of loyal citizens in fifty states are unified as one nation under God, as one blue heaven unifies the stars that act as our divine guide, with stripes like rays of sacred light leading to them.
These are some of the things we see in our mind’s eye, embodied in every American flag in the land of the free and the home of the brave. It seems that the question, “Oh say, can you see?” is inviting us to do more than just see the flag. It’s inviting us to envision liberty and justice for all.
Program #3698
1. Francis Scott Key, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” stanza 1, line 1.