In 1787, Madison represented Virginia at the Constitution Convention. He was a federalist at heart, thus campaigned for a strong central government. In the Virginia Plan, he expressed his ideas about forming a three-part federal government, consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches.

Madison believed that keeping the three branches separated was fundamental to the preservation of liberty. He wrote: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many… may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”

By proposing a plan of government with three branches, James Madison was hoping to give the government more power but not too much power so that it would be overbearing. This concept, known as separation of powers, would help prevent the federal government from having too much power.

When James Madison and the other 56 delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May 1787, they intended to amend the Articles of Confederation. They ended up creating a new constitution, and Madison, representing Virginia, became the chief recorder of information (he took a lot of notes).

On September 13, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry withstood some 25 hours of British bombardment. Early the next morning, they hoisted a gigantic U.S. flag over the fort, marking a crucial victory and a turning point in what would be considered a second war of American independence.

Before the war, Americans rarely used the flag to express patriotism. But the flag’s appearance over Fort McHenry during the Battle for Baltimore and Francis Scott Key’s poem “The Star-Spangled Banner” inspired the public. After the war, the flag was often displayed as a symbol of national pride and unity.

On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key pens a poem which is later set to music and in 1931 becomes America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort M’Henry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812.

KELLY MCEVERS

The greatest Star-Spangled Banner performances of all time

• Renée Fleming. One of the few who sang it as close to the original as possible, Renée Fleming made history by becoming the first opera star to sing The Star Spangled-Banner at the Superbowl.
• Jennifer Hudson.
• Lady Gaga.
• Joyce DiDonato.
• Beyoncé
• Whitney Houston.

Until 1931, there was no officially proclaimed anthem of the United States, however, the song “Hail Columbia!” was used quite often in the capacity of a national anthem. “Hail Columbia!” is used today in the United States as an entrance song for the Vice President (much like “Hail to the Chief” is for the President.)

It’s a beloved melody and was even considered as a candidate for the official anthem before ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was eventually chosen in 1931, but ‘America the Beautiful’ doesn’t officially have legal status as a US national hymn or anthem.

“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.

The song is difficult, even for the most trained singer, he said, because it calls for an enormous vocal range, including the ability to sing a vowel on the highest note of the piece — on “free” — which physically strains the throat. …

M