In "The Star-Spangled Banner," Jed McTavish and his older brother, Nathan, have just raised their first load of oysters when they see a British boat headed right toward them! The British are at war with America and soldiers seize the boys’ boat and hold them for one night. Jed and another prisoner, Francis Scott Key, watch throughout the night as the British fire on Fort McHenry. At dawn, as they scan the horizon and see the Star-Spangled Banner still flying, Mr. Key is so moved that he writes the poem that will become our national anthem.