On December 26, 1795, Sen. Stephen Bradley (VT), proposed legislation to alter the national flag to fifteen stars and fifteen stripes. The Bill was passed on December 30, 1795.  The House of Representatives debated the bill. Congressman Goodhue (MA) called it "a trifling business" that would require altering for years.  Some members of the House thought the new states should be honored on the flag, while others felt the flag should remain in its original form.  Still others, such as Goodhue and Thatcher (also from MA), felt the entire affair was "a consumate piece of frivolity".

An amendment to the Bill to make permanent the flag and thereby eliminate future changes was defeated by a vote of 50 to 42 on January 13, 1794.  The design was not clarified.  Thus, the Second Flag Act, almost as ambiguous as the first, was enacted.  The 15-stripe, 15-star flag remained the national ensign for nearly 25 years, until 1818.

This flag was the first to fly over the country's new capital, Washington, D. C., on November 17, 1800.  After the Louisiana Purchase, the flag replaced the French flag in New Orleans on December 20, 1803.  Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark carried the 15 stripes and stars across the continent the following year.

The writing of America's national anthem and the phrase "star-spangled banner" were directly attributable to a Dr. Wiliam Beanes being confined on board an English ship outside Baltimore during the War of 1812.  His friends, worried about punishment or deportation, asked a lawyer and friend, Francis Scott Key, to intercede.  Key and Col. J. S. Skinner went aboard the British flagship and, several days and much discussion later, received British Admiral Cochrane's promise to release the doctor.  While being entertained aboard the flagship, Key and Skinner inadvertently learned of the coming attack on Baltimore and were forced to remain on a tender until after the battle.  Key and Skinner watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry.  During the night of September 13, the cannons stopped firing.  Had the fort surrendered?  It had not, and it was the sight of the flag, 42 feet long, 30 feet high, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, that gave the men their answer "by the dawn's early light" as they watched the British leave in defeat.

The sight inspired Key to write the verses later known as America's national anthem.  While there are different versions as to how the anthem was written, the version given here was first printed in the Baltimore Patriot and the American (local newspapers) within the week.  The verses were written to the popular British tune and Irish drinking song, To Anacreaon in Heaven.

The actual Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry on that fateful day is shown below: