Everything you need to understand or teach Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
In 1830, the U.S. Navy made plans to scrap the 44-gun frigate Constitution, the nation's most celebrated warship. Launched in 1797, "Old Ironsides" had earned her nickname during the War of 1812, defeating a number of fabled British vessels including the HMS Guerierre. Though the war as a whole ended indecisively, from it the young republic drew many symbols of its recent independence. One such symbol was "The Star Spangled Banner," written in 1814 to memorialize...