I'll assume you are joking, but if not it was the war of 1812 not the Revolutionary war. It was Francis Scott Key who was on a British ship to negotiate a prisoner exchange. The British showed up in force to attack Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The poem he wrote afterward depicts what he witnessed during the battle.
And for those of you who like to make fun of Americans not knowing what you think everyone should know... Can you sing our National Anthem? Don't look it up. Right now sing all the words. You don't have to keep the tone correct, just repeat the words. How long was it? Now look it up. Did you miss a few words?
It is easy for us to judge what schools teach and what they don't teach but remember that our body of knowledge as a species is increasing at an incredibly drastic rate and schools suddenly become everyones personal scape goat and dumping ground for what should be taught. Try doing the math sometime to figure out exactly how much time schools really have to impart knowledge to students and weigh that with what people expect the schools to accomplish in that time.
America F*&K Yeah!
I get what you're saying Ira, but it's no excuse to leave out or "skim" on the foundations of our great nation.
They teach Islam in public schools. Are you okay with that? If you are, then teach Christianity as well.
Other topics/teaching making their way into our public schools: Transgender, LBGT, Satanic coloring books, gun safety, global warming, etc. These have no place in the classroom. Teach reading, writing, arithmetic, and history. Leave "Social Justice" out.
These are all subjects that each individual needs to learn at home. Let the individual decide. The government has no place or right to tell me or my kids how to think or what to believe.
Teaching on all these other subjects takes time. That time is short. Something has "to give". It seems things like history of our nation, and how our Republic actually works, are the subjects that get "trimmed".
If there was more consistent teaching on the foundation of this country, more kids would grow up knowing that they don't want to go back to "being told what to do or believe". Kids would have a solid foundation, and actually be proud to be an American. Can a kid even say that in school these days, without fear of "offending" someone?
My mom is a retired school teacher, and my wife is a teacher. Teachers (as you know) are getting their hands tied, and given the responsibility of not only teaching - but they have to be surrogate parents as well. That's bogus in my opinion.
Teach your kids (at home) to be respectful of everyone else, and that they are at school to learn the basics - not "what's trending" on social matters.