Senate Designates Year of Thanksgiving for Bicentennial of National Anthem

Senate passes bipartisan resolution designating September 2014 through September 2015 as the ‘"Year of National Thanksgiving for The Star-Spangled Banner."

Contact: Brian G. Roquemore, Sr., National Thanksgiving Foundation, 877-652-5200, brian@nationalthanksgivingfoundation.org  

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Led by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), the U.S. Senate added its voice to the national celebration of the 200th anniversary of our National Anthem with unanimous passage of a bipartisan resolution (S. 550) for a "Year of National Thanksgiving" commemorating the writing, designation and symbolism of the song. The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 after seeing the American flag raised high in the air above Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, after the Americans withstood 25 hours of bombardment by the British Royal Navy. The song was officially designated as the American National Anthem in 1931.

Founder and president of the National Thanksgiving Foundation (NTF), Brian Roquemore, stated, "We are excited about the passage of this important resolution. We especially thank the senators who introduced it and those who voted for it. By having a year-long celebration, with special focus on the War of 1812, history will come alive for students and all Americans through events that schools, sporting events, civic groups, and entire communities can develop during the year."

Years ago, fashion designer, Ralph Lauren, played an important role in the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner, which he considers to be "our greatest American treasure." He and his company donated more than $13 million to the work of preserving the tattered, fragile flag, which in now on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

Steve Vogel's remarkable book, Through the Perilous Fight: From the Burning of Washington to the Star-Spangled Banner: The Six Weeks That Saved the Nation, gives the ultimate meaning of America's Second War of Independence.

The National Thanksgiving Foundation initiated the Year of National Thanksgiving. NTF arranged resolutions for the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution in 1987 and the Bicentennial of the Bill of Rights in 1991. Bob Hope was National Chairman for five years and the Leadership of both the House and Senate introduced Year of Thanksgiving resolutions and served on the National Committee.

For more information contact:
Brian Roquemore at 877-652-5200 or at brian@nationalthanksgivingfoundation.org.