Some say it is a sure sign of his racism because it glories in the fear and death of slaves brought about by the American victory. In the last three years much has been said about Francis Scott Key’s use of the phrase “hirelings and slaves” in the third verse of the the Star Spangled Banner, or the Defence of Fort M’Henry as written by Key. There is no right or wrong approach between the two, science and humanities, there are simply problems better suited for one than the other.Ī current issue particularly suited to the humanities is: What people were Francis Scott Key referring to in the third stanza of our National Anthem when he says “…No refuge could save the hireling and slave, From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.” ?ĬAPTION: Screen capture of Key’s third stanza of the Defence of Fort M’Henry We seek verisimilar, or seemingly real, solutions based on narrative evidence placed within the context of the human experience. Whereas the sciences provide solutions that are exact and can be supported by statistical evidence generalized to the much larger population, the humanities simply aim to provide a solution that seems logical and correct. Whereas the sciences are particularly adept at finding solutions to problems involving variables that can be measured, controlled, and manipulated the humanities seek solutions that seem best to fit the known facts. As such, we excel at moderating problems involving humans: messy problems, nuanced problems, and complex problems. As a card carrying historian I can say we in the humanities find comfort in gray– from charcoal to fog. ![]() If you are looking for a black & white solution to a problem involving humans and our society, don’t come to the humanities. With good editing I probably could have gotten down to 1500 words, but the poem was published in 1814. CAPTION: Title of an online article from the CATO Institute addressing current charges that Key’s use of the word slave in his third stanza of his poem is racist.īefore you start this long blog article, know that it is 1814 words in length.
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