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It could take <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/02/baltimore-key-bridge-rebuilding-cost/" target="_blank">years and nearly $2 billion </a>to rebuild the 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

But in the meantime, activists and historians say it’s time to rethink the name of the 47-year-old bridge near the site where enslaver Francis Scott Key could have witnessed British ships bombing Fort McHenry in 1814, inspiring the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Activists say it’s time to acknowledge the harm done by notable figures in U.S. history, including Key, who enslaved <a href="https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/studentservices/wellbeing/francis-scott-key1.pdf" target=_blank>at least a dozen people</a>, historians say. They have begun pressuring government officials and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CaucusofAfricanAmericanLeaders/posts/pfbid0z2T5ZiieGPZFoevn7gFB1PpqtgzsBANWUsFADfsWHdYZXTtRyRHfWFdd2ZCCa5p3l" target=_blank>holding public meetings</a> lobbying for the bridge’s name to be changed.

“We think this is an excellent opportunity to make a statement about what Marylanders believe,” said Carl Snowden, the head of the Caucus of African American Leaders, a coalition of African American organizations, elected officials and advocates in Maryland.

But the effort is being met with resistance from Republican lawmakers and local conservative groups, who see it as an effort to rewrite history.

“I support keeping the current name, and will seek to require it as a condition of any federal funding,” U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), whose district includes the eastern shore of the state, including Salisbury, said in a statement.

In late March, a container ship, the Dali, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six people. The FBI has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/15/balitmore-key-bridge-criminal-investigation/" target=_blank>opened a criminal investigation</a> into the incident. The collapse has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/27/baltimore-port-economy-disruption-bridge-collapse/" target=_blank>cut off access to the city’s port</a>, putting stress on the supply chain of autos, construction machinery and coal across the country.

The call to rename the bridge comes amid a larger debate about how to acknowledge the harm done by some of America’s most prominent figures. Like efforts to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/19/richmond-confederate-memorials-history/" target=_blank>remove Confederate memorials</a>, including a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond and a five-story-tall monument to Confederate troops in Birmingham, Ala., monuments to Key’s legacy have been called into question by historians and advocates across the country who say it’s time to re-examine whether an enslaver’s name belongs on a place of honor.

Proponents for the name change acknowledge it will be an uphill battle.

“Realistically, nothing’s going to happen for a while,” Snowden said. “What we are now trying to do is build political support for this, to get people to understand why this is important and to make it crystal clear that this issue is not going away.”

The bridge was built in 1977 and was named after Key, who descended from a wealthy plantation family. In an 1838 letter, Key <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=xVRQ8NsrP5MC&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=%E2%80%9Ca+distinct+and+inferior+race+of+people,+which+all+experience+proves+to+be+the+greatest+evil+that+afflicts+a+community.%E2%80%9D&source=bl&ots=akAa-MkOnE&sig=gl287IEmrxDd7QhWzDZ1vndULAY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi7-4HtktDNAhXG7YMKHbKMDCEQ6AEIJjAB#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9Ca%20distinct%20and%20inferior%20race%20of%20people%2C%20which%20all%20experience%20proves%20to%20be%20the%20greatest%20evil%20that%20afflicts%20a%20community.%E2%80%9D&f=false" target=_blank>spoke</a> of Black people as “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/10/18/star-spangled-banner-racist-national-anthem/" target=_blank>a distinct and inferior race</a>.”

Key freed some of those he enslaved, but it’s unclear why. “That would be a matter of speculation,” said Mark Clague, a professor of music at the University of Michigan and the author of “O Say Can You Hear: A Cultural Biography of The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Key was a contradictory figure, Clague said. As a lawyer, Key defended both enslaved people who had escaped and the people who tried to hunt them down. But he was also a founding member and spokesperson of the American Colonization Society, which advocated for sending formerly enslaved people to Africa, Clague said.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was based on a song written by Key called “The Defense of Fort M’Henry,” which included a verse some historians have said was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/10/18/star-spangled-banner-racist-national-anthem/" target=_blank>directed at African Americans</a> who escaped slavery to join the British forces.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Key may have been using the word “slave” in the song to describe the White subject of a king rather than Black enslaved people, Clague said. Some racist statements attributed to Key may have reflected others’ views, not his own, he said.

But Clague said he understands the desire for a change.

“I think that the name of the bridge should reflect the community of Baltimore and Maryland’s aspirations for where they want to go in the future,” Clague said. “So, I think it’s a completely reasonable question to ask, what should the name be in 2024?”

Added historian Marc Leepson, author of “What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, a Life”: “I think it’s a good idea to use someone else’s name who is more representative of the people of Maryland.”

The Caucus of African American Leaders is lobbying for the bridge to be renamed in honor of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2007/05/30/politician-carried-on-a-civil-rights-legacy/a34289cb-3656-42bc-8997-165852863b57/" target=_blank>Parren J. Mitchell</a> (D), Maryland’s first Black congressman.

The Maryland Transportation Authority, which could change the bridge’s name, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) also haven’t weighed in on the issue. “My mind right now is fully focused on making sure we can bring comfort to these families, making sure we can get this channel reopened, making sure we can take care of these port workers, and rebuilding the bridge,” Moore said in a statement.

Meanwhile, some Maryland activists are preparing to fight a potential name change. The effort to remove Key’s name is another sign of too much “wokeness,” said Fred Propheter, president of the Frederick County Conservative Club.

He also opposed the 2022 renaming of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/09/13/fairfax-lee-memorial-highway-rename/" target=_blank>Lee Highway</a>, named after the Confederate general in Fairfax County, to Route 29.

“There’s been too many things in the last few years that have been canceled due to people’s woke feelings over stuff,” Propheter said. “We need to preserve our history, and Francis Scott Key is very much a part of our history.”

The club launched an<a href="https://www.openpetition.org/us/petition/online/preserve-francis-scott-key-bridge-name-in-baltimore-md" target=_blank> online petition </a>in early April but so far has collected only 78 of the 5,000 signatures it wants. The group is also reaching out to local leaders on the issue, Propheter said.

“The bridge was named Francis Scott Key Bridge, and it should remain Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Propheter said. “I see no reason to rename it.”

Nicole Asbury contributed to this report.

A previous version of this article incorrectly said British ships bombed Fort McHenry in 1841. It occurred in 1814. The article has been corrected.

American University, master’s degree in interactive journalism, class of 2014 

University of Central Florida, bachelor’s degree in journalism, class of 2007

Rachel Hatzipanagos is a staff writer at The Washington Post. 

Rachel  Hatzipanagos

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Francis Scott Key Bridge is named after an enslaver. Time for a change?

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