[Old School Hound]

The fact that Key owned slaves was not the reason that kneeling during the playing of the national anthem became a fad among NFL players that has since spread. It is an attempt to justify disrespectful behavior after the fact.

The issue is not only about an individual's decision not to stand during the playing of the national anthem, it is also about coercing teammates into kneeling, whether or not they also disrespect the flag and the nation. Consider what happened to poor Drew Brees when he decided not to kneel. He caved and is now reviled both by the kneelers and those who choose to stand. Brees went from making a courageous stand on principle to a cowardly compromise of his principles.

The left's attempt to erase history in this country is no different than what totalitarian regimes have done throughout history. History told outside of the context of time is not history at all. Slavery once existed in this country and slavery still exists in some parts of the world. It would surprise me if there is a single living person who does not have a slave ancestor somewhere in his family tree - whether the ancestor was kidnapped in west Africa or enslaved by Roman conquerors, all of our ancestors overcame hurdles to live, raise families, and leave a legacy than includes us. Francis Scott Key was a product of his culture, just as we are products of our time.

I'm assuming you are referring to the removal of state flags with Confederate emblems and removing Confederate monuments(all of which should be removed, by the way). I would submit that that it is those on the right that have attempted to "whitewash" history(pun intended). Since kids, we have been taught a history that is not honest and that has successfully made heroes out of people who were not heroes at all. F.S. Key is just one of many of these. White supremist ideology has roots that run deep in the history of America. Yet, we never learned this in school.  To this day, we still see the right-wingers trying to suppress the votes of blacks and minorities. This history of racist voter suppression dates back to the genesis of the country's founding.

Institutional racism was consciously incorporated into the language of the Constitution. Let's be brutally honest . Created by an all- white wealthy group of male "founding fathers," the original Constitution was replete with white supremist ideas designed to protect and prolong the institution of slavery and to exclude all those the "fathers" didn't deem worthy of citizenship.                   
                                                                              
Crafted just eleven years after the Declaration of Independence, itself full of lofty language about equality, democracy, and the right of self-determination, the Constitution did not mince words about who was not included in that language. Enslaved people could pursue neither life nor liberty, much less vote, and yet their numbers were used to entrench the political power of their white oppressors.

It should come as no surprise, as I will submit later, that Key's poem also includes racist language. Key was, in fact, an overt racist. He descended from a wealthy plantation family and enslaved people. He frequently spoke of Black people as a " distinct and inferior race."  I know, because I have read some of his writings. He supported freeing slaves only if they were immediately shipped to Africa. Were we told any of this in school? Of course not. 

Key penned "The Defense of Fort M'Henry"(Star-Spangled Banner) in 1814 .  Ever wonder why it took 117 years to be adopted as the national anthem???   Stay tuned...