Analyze the history and lyrics of the two anthems (“The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” respectively known as the “National Anthem” and “Black National Anthem”).
-Write a two-page reflection to argue which one you think better fits our time and why.
-Use verses from the lyrics.
-Let the following questions be used as a guide:
1. What is meant by a national anthem?
2. Who first used the term “national anthem”? When was it used, and on what occasion?
3. What is the spirit of a national anthem?
4. Where do we find that spirit?
5. When was the Star-Spangled Banner written? Who wrote it? What were the circumstances of its creation?
6. Did the writer of the Star-Spangled Banner envision it as becoming the country’s national anthem?
7. Who made the Star-Spangled Banner into a national anthem, and when?
8. Who wrote the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”? When was it written? What were the circumstances of its creation?