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U.S. national anthem protests


U.S. national anthem protests have a long history. Protests have had many causes, including civil rights, anti-conscription and anti-war, anti-nationalism, and religious reservations. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was adopted as the official national anthem by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931. Before that time, a number of songs were used as unofficial national anthems, including "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" and "Hail, Columbia".

In 1892, three men, including a friend of Ida B. Wells, were lynched by a white mob while in police custody in Memphis, Tennessee, in an event known as the Peoples Grocery lynching. The act sparked a national outcry. At a meeting of one thousand people at Bethel A. M. E. Church, Reverend W. Gaines' call for the crowd to sing the then de facto national anthem, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", but the call was refused, one member of the audience declaring, "I don't want to sing that song until this country is what it claims to be, 'sweet land of liberty'". The Reverend substituted the Civil War-era song about the abolitionist martyr, "John Brown's Body". Barnett closed the meeting appealing for calm and a careful response, but also expressing great frustration and concern that the violence against blacks may one day lead to reprisals.

Refusal to stand during the national anthem became a widespread form of protest during World War I. In some cases, this was related to potest of conscription. It was also associated with support for Socialism,Bolshevism, or Communism. In one case, supporters of the Communism refused to stand during the song at a trial of Emma Goldman. The act of protest was very controversial, and many people were highly offended, so that even accidentally remaining seated could result in violence.


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