WATCH: AlterNet’s Jefferson Morley Spars with Tucker Carlson Over 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

AlterNet
and
 Chris Sosa
September 14, 2017

AlterNet's Washington correspondent Jefferson Morley appeared on Fox News to discuss how “The Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem of the United States due to a neo-Confederate campaign.

Morley explains in his article that the song, which originally included racist lyrics, was a favorite of white supremacists. He writes that “neo-Confederates elevated ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ from patriotic tune to national anthem as a way of honoring southern slaveowners' rebellion.”

Host Tucker Carlson had a response to learning about the history of our national anthem: “I don’t care!”

Carlson contended that, while racists liked the song, the lyrics of today’s version don’t include racist language.

Morley responded that he wasn’t proposing the anthem be dropped, but that the neo-Confederate context of the anthem’s origin is an important part of our ongoing discussion about cultural symbols today.

Watch the video below.

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