Question

To what is Francis Scott Key referring when he mentions “hirelings and slaves” in the third stanza of “The Star Spangled Banner”?


1.) He feels that the British are mercenaries who only fight for gold.

2.) He believes that the British sailors are like slaves because they live under a monarch.

3.) He refers to the fact that the British Navy was primarily comprised of African slaves.

4.) He refers to the British Navy’s practice of forcibly impressing people to work on their ships.

Answer 1

THE RIGHT ANSWER IS B

Answer 2

Answer:

2.) He believes that the British sailors are like slaves because they live under a monarch.

Explanation:

The author asks what has happened to the foes of the USA who swore they would devastate the nation by war, and proceeds to state that these adversaries have been killed and that there was no place these individuals, alluded to as workers and slaves, could escape passing or flight.