The Daughters of the American Revolution, Neches River Chapter, met Aug. 11 in Canton with Sherrie Archer, Chapter Regent, presiding.

Among the group’s business items on the agenda, Archer reminded everyone that there will be a Bells Across America ceremony in front of the Van Zandt County Courthouse at 3 p.m. Sept. 17, Constitution Day. The ringing of bells all over the country is a tradition the DAR has upheld for years, commemorating the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. The event, a short ceremony where bells are rung by DAR members, is open to the public.

Pat Thibodeau, DAR member, presented the program, regarding the two pieces of patriotic music recognized as national songs in the United States: “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Thibodeau described how our national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, during the War of 1812. On September 7, 1814, with war still raging, Key was on board a British military ship anchored near Baltimore, negotiating for the release of several Americans being held prisoner. The British negotiators agreed to release the prisoners, but compelled Key to stay aboard the ship during the night of Sept. 7, because the British had begun attacking Fort McHenry, a nearby American facility. The officers aboard the ship didn’t want Key to go ashore and tell American forces what he might have incidentally learned of the British military plans.

Key watched helplessly as the shelling continued through the night, with bombs and rockets exploding over the fort. He was relieved that the American flag still flew over Fort McHenry the next morning, showing the British attack had failed, and he began to write a celebratory poem while still aboard the ship. That poem was later set to music and became very popular, sung by Americans for decades. Only in 1930, however, did Congress pass a law making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the U.S.

Thibodeau said that the nation’s other national song was also composed on board a ship. John Philip Sousa, an American composer and musician famous for writing marching band tunes, was coming home on a ship from a trip abroad on Christmas Day, 1896.

He was walking up and down the deck when he began to mentally work out the marching music that would later be called “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” This piece, with its well-known piccolo section, became beloved by Americans. It has been played at parades and other patriotic celebrations since it was composed over 120 years ago. In 1987, Congress designated the song as the official march of the United States.

Pat Thibodeau was among the featured speakers at the most recent Daughters of the American Revolution meeting held Aug. 11 in Canton.