“The Star-Spangled Banner” became popular throughout the United States after the War of 1812 thanks to a surge of patriotism and the fact that the lyrics were printed in newspapers across the country. Nevertheless, he bought and sold human beings.” By many accounts, he treated them humanely. “On the other hand, slavery was evil and Francis Scott Key was a slaveowner. “In a lot of ways, it’s not fair to judge someone through 20th century standards,” he said. It means a lot to a lot of people,” said Marc Leepson, author of the book “What So Proudly We Hailed,” which explores the life of Key. “It’s too ingrained and I don’t believe it will be replaced. (The singer said he prefers “America the Beautiful.”) But any effort likely faces an uphill battle. Some people, such as Legend, are advocating replacing “The Star-Spangled Banner” with a more inclusive anthem. … It’s a war-mongering song that’s totally inappropriate for 2016 and people need to get over it.”

He said performing the anthem today is the equivalent of saying that “things should never change and remain frozen in aspic.

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