| I | INTRODUCTION |
Maryland, one of the eastern states of the United
States. Maryland is bordered by Pennsylvania on the north, Delaware and the
Atlantic Ocean on the east, Virginia on the south, and West Virginia on the
southwest and west. Washington, D.C., the national capital, is an enclave along
the Virginia border. The Potomac River forms most of Maryland’s western boundary
and Chesapeake Bay deeply indents the eastern part of the state. Annapolis is
the state capital and Baltimore is the largest city.
The Maryland colony was founded in 1634 and
was named for the wife of English King Charles I, Queen Henrietta Maria.
Colonial Maryland attracted many settlers and, as its economy prospered, so did
its social, political, and cultural life. Maryland entered the Union on April
28, 1788, as the 7th of the original 13 states.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries,
Maryland and its residents were involved in many of the events relating to the
attainment of independence by the United States and to the early struggles of
the young republic. During the Civil War (1861-1865), Maryland, a border state,
became part of the great battleground between North and South, but the state
itself stayed within the Union. During the first half of the 20th century the
economic development of Maryland was marked by a shift in emphasis from farming
to manufacturing. The state is now primarily an industrial state. Despite this
shift, agriculture is still carried on throughout most of the state.
Maryland has no official nickname. However,
the most commonly accepted name, and also one of the oldest, is the Old Line
State. This nickname honors the memory of Maryland’s regiments of the line,
which fought with distinction in the American Revolution (1775-1783).
| II | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY |
Maryland ranks 42nd among the states in
size, with a total area of 32,134 sq km (12,407 sq mi), including 1,761 sq km
(680 sq mi) of inland water. Also included is 4,773 sq km (1,843 sq mi) of
Chesapeake Bay that is considered part of the state. Maryland has a maximum
width from east to west, of 385 km (240 mi) and varies north to south from 3 km
(2 mi) at its narrowest to 200 km (125 mi) on its eastern extreme. Chesapeake
Bay, a large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, divides the state into two sections.
The section east of the bay, known as the Eastern Shore, occupies part of the
Delmarva Peninsula. Maryland’s mean elevation is about 110 m (350 ft).
| A | Natural Regions |
Maryland can be divided into five natural
regions, or physiographic provinces, each of which forms a small portion of five
of the principal natural regions of the eastern United States. Maryland’s
natural regions are, from east to west, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the
Piedmont, the Blue Ridge province, the Ridge and Valley province, and the
Appalachian Plateaus (locally called the Allegheny Plateau). The Atlantic
Coastal Plain is a subdivision of the Coastal Plain. The other four natural
regions are subdivisions of the larger Appalachian Region, or Appalachian
Highland. However, the Piedmont is sometimes considered a separate region that
is a transitional zone between the Appalachian Region and the Coastal Plain. The
boundary between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Piedmont is known as the
fall line, the zone where rivers pass from the more ancient and harder rock of
the upland to the more easily eroded sands, clays, and shales of the Coastal
Plain. Rather than a clear, single line, the zone is actually a series of offset
lines. In Maryland the fall line roughly follows an imaginary line linking the
cities of Wilmington, Delaware, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Rapids and
waterfalls occur in, at, or near the point where rivers cross the fall
line.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain lies south and
east of the fall line in Maryland. East of Chesapeake Bay, on the Eastern Shore,
the plain is extremely flat and often swampy. Nowhere does the land rise to more
than 30 m (100 ft) above sea level. West of the bay much of the land is flat,
but there are gently rolling hills that rise to elevations of between 90 and 120
m (300 and 400 ft). The region in Maryland is primarily one of farmlands and
small rural communities, except for the urbanized areas centered on Baltimore
and Washington, D.C., in the west, and Salisbury and Ocean City in the
east.
The Piedmont is a rolling upland area of
fertile valleys and low rolling hills that rises gradually westward. Two
prominent ridges, Parrs Ridge and Dug Hill Ridge, extend across the Piedmont in
a northeast to southwest direction. Dug Hill Ridge rises to about 370 m (about
1,200 ft) above sea level on the Maryland-Pennsylvania state line. The Piedmont
valleys are noted for their prosperous dairy farms.
The Blue Ridge province in Maryland is a
mountainous region less than 30 km (20 mi) wide. It is split into two prongs by
the fertile Middletown Valley. The eastern prong is a ridge 60 km (37 mi) long
known as Catoctin Mountain, which rises to about 580 m (1,900 ft) above sea
level. The western prong is South Mountain, which reaches a maximum elevation at
Quirauk Mountain, in Virginia, just south of the Maryland line. The entire Blue
Ridge province in Maryland is sometimes referred to as South Mountain.
The Ridge and Valley province in Maryland
consists of the broad Hagerstown Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian
Valley, in the east and a series of parallel forested ridges and deep narrow
valleys in the west. The ridges generally trend in northeast-to-southwest
directions and reach maximum elevations of about 600 m (about 2,000 ft).
Hagerstown Valley, up to about 30 km (about 20 mi) wide, is a fertile farming
area.
The Appalachian Plateaus in Maryland cover
the westernmost section of the state, where they are represented by a section of
the rugged and mountainous Allegheny Plateau. The eastern edge of the plateau is
marked by the great escarpment of the Allegheny Mountains that is known locally
as Dans Mountain. Backbone Mountain, a ridge in the Allegheny Mountains, rises
to 1,024 m (3,360 ft) above sea level in the extreme west and is the highest
point in the state. Backbone Mountain also divides the Potomac River drainage
system from the westward-flowing Ohio River system. The Appalachian Plateaus
region is a sparsely populated, picturesque area of forested mountains and
steep-sided river valleys. The chief economic activities include farming,
manufacturing, and tourism. Coal mining, once important, is on the wane.
| B | Rivers and Lakes |
Nearly all of Maryland is drained by
rivers that flow into either Chesapeake Bay or directly into the Atlantic Ocean.
A small area in the extreme western part of the state is drained by the
Youghiogheny River, which flows into the Ohio River, a tributary of the
Mississippi River.
Major rivers are the Potomac River, on
whose banks lies Washington, D.C., and the Patapsco River, whose estuary forms
the harbor of Baltimore. The Potomac, which is formed by the junction of the
Shenandoah and the North Branch of the Potomac River in the Allegheny Mountains
in West Virginia, flows generally eastward and then southeastward. With one of
its headstreams, the North Branch, it forms the entire southern border of
Maryland. However, because the state line actually follows the south bank of the
river for much of its length, most of the Potomac lies within Maryland. Where
the river crosses the fall line, about 25 km (about 15 mi) northwest of
Washington, D.C., are the Great Falls of the Potomac. The Patapsco River rises
in the Piedmont and flows eastward to enter Chesapeake Bay.
The lowermost section of the Susquehanna
River is located in Maryland, where the river enters the head of Chesapeake Bay
at Havre de Grace. The largest freshwater contibutor to the bay, the Susquehanna
is fed by rivers rising as far away as upstate New York. The Elk, Choptank,
Nanticoke, Chester, Pocomoke, and other rivers enter the bay from the Eastern
Shore. The Severn and Patuxent rivers flow into the bay on the west.
Maryland has no large natural lakes. The
largest body of water is a reservoir, Deep Creek Lake, which has a surface area
of only 18 sq km (7 sq mi). It lies on the Allegheny Plateau, behind a dam on a
tributary of the Youghiogheny River.
| C | Coastline |
The deeply indented shoreline has a length
of 5,134 km (3,190 mi), of which only 50 km (31 miles) fronts on the Atlantic
Ocean. The most significant coastal feature is Chesapeake Bay. In the bay are
many islands and Kent Island is the largest.
The state’s coastline on the Atlantic is
characterized by sandy beaches, behind which are extensive salt marshes and
shallow lagoons. Offshore lies Assateague Island, a long narrow barrier beach
that lies partly in Maryland and partly in Virginia. Barrier islands are
naturally unstable as they constantly build in one area while eroding in others.
North of Assateague Island, the major resort settlement of Ocean City is built
on a barrier island. A major environmental challenge is to try to halt natural
erosion to preserve the city.
| D | Climate |
The climate of Maryland is characterized
by generally hot humid summers and cool winters. In comparison with the Eastern
Shore and other lowland areas, the upland sections in the west have colder and
longer winters and cooler and shorter summers.
| D1 | Temperature |
Average July temperatures range from
18°C (about 65° F) in western Maryland to between 24° and 27° C (75° and 80° F)
in eastern Maryland. July temperatures in Baltimore average a high of 31° C (87°
F) and a low of 19° C (67° F). Daytime temperatures in Maryland are often in the
lower 30°s C (upper 80°s F) and occasionally reach the mid-30°s C (upper 90°s
F). Summer nighttime temperatures are usually in the lower 20°s C (mid-70°s
F).
Average January temperatures range from
less than -2°C (28° F) in the west to more than 2°C (35° F) on the Eastern
Shore. The January temperatures in Baltimore average highs of 5° C (40° F) and
lows of -5° C (23° F). Very cold winter weather, with temperatures in the -20°s
C (below 0° F), is common in the western uplands but seldom occurs in the
eastern lowlands.
| D2 | Precipitation |
Precipitation (rainfall and snowfall)
increases from 970 mm (38 in) a year in eastern Maryland to more than 1,170 mm
(46 in) in the western mountains of the state. However, the driest area is in
western Maryland, where Hagerstown Valley, hemmed in by mountains, receives less
than 910 mm (36 in) of rain a year. Throughout the state most precipitation is
in the form of rain. More than half the annual rainfall occurs in the summer
months. In the winter, snow is common, but the snowfall is much greater in the
mountains than in the lowlands. Hailstorms and thunderstorms occur occasionally
in the summer months.
| D3 | Growing Season |
The growing season, or period from the
last killing frost in spring to the first killing frost in fall, increases from
less than 140 days on the Allegheny Plateau to more than 210 days on the
Delmarva Peninsula. The first major frost in fall usually occurs in late
September on the plateau and six weeks later on the peninsula. The last major
spring frost can be expected in early April on the peninsula and as late as
mid-May in the western part of the state.
| E | Soils |
Gray-brown podzolic soils predominate,
except in the western mountains, where thin infertile podzols cover most of the
slopes. The soils of the Eastern Shore include heavy loams and silt loams in the
north and light sandy soils in the south. On the plain west of the bay the soils
are also silt loams and sandy soils, but they tend to be comparatively less
fertile than the soils of the Eastern Shore.
The soils of the Piedmont valleys are
fertile loams and clay loams, which are well suited to agriculture. The soils of
the Piedmont hills and of mountain ridges farther west are generally thin. Where
they are productive, they are used for pastureland and orchards. In Hagerstown
Valley there are fertile silt and clay loams that support good crops of corn and
hay.
| F | Plant Life |
In the years of early settlement, most of
Maryland was forested. Nearly all the virgin forest has been cut, but
second-growth forest covers 41 percent of the state’s land area. Forest cover
exceeds three-fifths of the land surface in extreme western Maryland, the far
eastern portion of the Eastern Shore, and the southern part of the state.
The most common trees in the forests of
Maryland are oaks, maples, hickories, tulip trees, southern pines, and beeches.
The black locust, black cherry, and ash are also common in the hardwood forests,
and the cottonwood, willow, and sycamore are found along the streams. The white
oak, a common hardwood, is the state tree. About four-fifths of Maryland’s
forests are hardwood while one-fifth are softwoods, mostly southern pine.
In the mountains of Maryland the hardwoods
are intermixed with conifers. On the higher slopes, white pines, red spruces,
and hemlocks are sometimes found in almost pure stands. Where hardwoods
predominate, the undergrowth includes the dogwood, raspberry, Virginia creeper,
sassafras, blackhaw, spicebush, holly, huckleberry, and azalea. The most common
wild flowers include the mayapple, mountain laurel, jewelweed, cranesbill,
golden aster, goldenrod, and the black-eyed Susan, which is the state
flower.
In the forests of the east the loblolly
pine and Virginia pine are often dominant. Also occurring in these lowland
forests are the sweetgum, blackgum, hackberry, persimmon, sweetbay, and many of
the major hardwoods common to the uplands of the west.
The Great Pocomoke Swamp, in eastern
Maryland and southern Delaware, contains the northernmost stand of bald cypress
in the United States. The vegetation is typical of southern swamps. Southern
white cedars are found along the fringes of the swamp.
| G | Animal Life |
All the large mammals found in colonial
Maryland have disappeared, with the exception of white-tailed deer and a few
black bears in the western mountains. However, small mammals are still common
and include the red fox, raccoon, muskrat, otter, mink, woodchuck, cottontail,
gray squirrel, chipmunk, opossum, and striped skunk.
The marshes of the Chesapeake Bay area,
which lies in the Atlantic Flyway, harbor numerous migratory and resident
waterfowl. Among the most common are the canvasback, mallard, black duck, wood
duck, scaup duck, red-breasted merganser, Canada goose, great blue heron, great
egret, whistling swan, and snow goose. Shorebirds are abundant in the east
during summer. Among the great variety of land birds are the robin, blue jay,
cardinal, eastern meadowlark, Carolina wren, mockingbird, and species of
warblers, vireos, sparrows, thrushes, hawks, and swallows. Bald eagles are found
in increasing frequency. The Baltimore oriole is the state bird. Common game
birds include the quail, ringnecked pheasant, and mourning dove, found in most
areas; the wild turkey and ruffed grouse, found principally in the west; and
waterfowl on the Eastern Shore.
Common snakes found in Maryland include
the non-venomous hog nosed, green, black, corn, yellow rat, milk, king, and
garter snakes. Venomous snakes include the copperhead, cotton-mouthed moccasin,
and timber rattle snakes.
Many fish inhabit the waters of Maryland.
In the streams can be found black bass, trout, perch, sunfish, and other game
fish. Fish in Chesapeake Bay include the striped bass, or rockfish, shad, white
perch, menhaden, drum, and alewife, or river herring. Marlins are the main
attraction of Maryland’s sport fishing. Other ocean fish are tuna, sea bass, sea
trout, and porgy. Shellfish found in Chesapeake Bay include oysters, clams, and
blue crabs. The diamondback terrapin, now scarce, is found in the marshes around
the bay.
| H | Conservation |
Conservation activities in Maryland
include the prevention of soil erosion, the conservation of fish and wildlife,
and the preservation of open space. The major federal agencies active in the
field of conservation in Maryland are the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, the Agricultural Research Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and
the National Park Service. State conservation programs are administered by
numerous state agencies whose activities are coordinated by the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources.
Much of the state has escaped severe soil
erosion. However, there has been considerable erosion in extensive areas of the
Atlantic Coastal Plain and also in the Piedmont, where the continuous
cultivation of tobacco for more than three centuries has robbed the soil of its
fertility and has left the bare hillsides exposed to the heavy spring and summer
rains. Since the 1930s, Maryland farmers have adopted such conservation
practices as contour plowing, no-till farming, diversion terracing, grass
rotation, and drainage of pasture land.
Water pollution, overfishing, the use of
illegal fishing gear, the taking of immature fish and shellfish, and the
prevalence of plant and animal pests have increasingly reduced the annual
harvest from the waters of Chesapeake Bay. However, efforts are being made by
federal and state agencies, as well as by private organizations, to restore the
bay’s productivity. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) joins federal, state and
local governments in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania in a cooperative
effort to clean up and improve the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. By the mid-1990s
the CBP reported significant positive results, but some environmental problems
persist. In 1997 repeated microbial infections caused thousands of fish to die
in several rivers flowing into Chesapeake Bay. Scientists are investigating the
cause of the disease outbreak, but believe that agricultural runoff may be a
major source of the problem, along with pollutants from factories, sewage
systems, and even lawns.
The preservation of open space around the
rapidly expanding metropolitan areas of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is a
growing concern of many federal, state, and municipal agencies. Efforts are
being made to prevent suburban development from absorbing the potential
recreation sites that are still not in any park system.
In 2006 the state had 17 hazardous waste
sites placed on a national priority list for cleanup due to their severity or
proximity to people. Progress was being made in efforts to reduce pollution; in
the period 1995–2000 the amount of toxic chemicals discharged into the
environment was reduced by 14 percent.
| III | ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES |
Maryland, while small in area, has a highly
diversified economy. Originally it was an agricultural colony, with tobacco as
its main crop. Farming remained the chief occupation until the late 19th
century. In the 1890s manufacturing became a more important source of both jobs
and income. Although agriculture is still practiced in most of Maryland, it now
provides less than 1 percent of the state’s gross product. Manufacturing,
meanwhile, has grown to produce as much income for the state as does retail
trade. The services sector, however, provides the largest share of economic
activity. Some 3,009,000 people held jobs in Maryland in 2006. Those employed in
services, with such jobs as caterers and dry cleaning attendants, were 41
percent of the workforce. Another 19 percent percent worked in wholesale or
retail trade; 18 percent in federal, state, or local government, including those
in the military; 21 percent in finance, insurance, or real estate; 5 percent in
manufacturing; 7 percent in construction; 18 percent in transportation or public
utilities; and 2 percent in farming (including agricultural services), forestry,
or fishing. Employment in mining was just 0.1 percent. In 2005, 13 percent of
Maryland’s workers were unionized.
| A | Agriculture |
Farms occupied 825,559 hectares (2
million acres) in 2005, or more than one-third of Maryland’s total area, in
1997. Crops were raised on 26 percent of the state’s land area.
In 1996 the sale of livestock and
livestock products accounted for three-fifths of total farm income in Maryland,
with broilers (young chickens used for food) and dairy products as two of the
state’s top agricultural commodities. The sale of crops accounted for two-fifths
of farm income.
| A1 | Crops |
By value of sales, the principal crops
are greenhouse and nursery products, corn, and soybeans. Corn is grown
throughout the state, although most of it is produced in the Piedmont region.
Most of the corn is sold for cash, but some is used for livestock feed and for
seed on the farms where it was grown. Soybeans occupy much cropland, especially
on the Eastern Shore. Tobacco is grown in Calvert, Anne Arundel, Prince Georges,
Charles, and Saint Marys counties, in southern Maryland, and is one of
Maryland’s most valuable cash crops. Its importance to the farm economy,
however, is declining. Vegetables are grown on the Eastern Shore, especially in
the three southern counties of the area, and to a lesser extent in the Piedmont
region. Much of the vegetable harvest is processed in local food-processing
plants. The rest is shipped fresh to urban centers.
Other field crops include wheat,
barley, oats, and hay. Wheat is grown in the Piedmont region and on the Eastern
Shore. Hay, including clover and timothy grass, is grown mainly in the Piedmont
region and used primarily as livestock feed. Barley and oats are grown in the
Piedmont region and in the valleys farther west. A variety of fruits are grown.
Apples, peaches, pears, plums, and cherries are grown in western Maryland.
Peaches are also raised on the Eastern Shore, as are strawberries, watermelons
and cantaloupes.
| A2 | Livestock |
Poultry farming is a specialized
agricultural activity concentrated in the Piedmont counties near Baltimore, but
especially on the Eastern Shore. Broilers account for most of the farm income
from poultry farming. Eggs are produced for the large, urban markets close by.
In addition, some turkeys and full-grown chickens are raised and sold for meat.
Dairy farming is concentrated in the Piedmont counties but is also carried on in
the western valleys and on the Eastern Shore. Most of the milk is sent to large
urban centers. In addition, some beef cattle and hogs are raised in
Maryland.
| A3 | Patterns of Farming |
In 2005 there were 12,100 farms in
Maryland. Relatively few had income sufficient for their operators to survive by
farming alone.
Agricultural practices and farm
prosperity vary considerably from place to place within the state. In the
western mountains, subsistence farmers, like their counterparts elsewhere in
Appalachia, exist on very low income. However, the commercial fruit growers in
Hagerstown Valley and other valleys are relatively prosperous. Dairying
predominates in the Piedmont region, especially in the counties of the Baltimore
metropolitan area. Prosperous farmers specialize in producing milk and eggs for
urban markets. In addition, some dairy farmers use surplus milk to feed
high-quality calves and hogs, which are sold for meat. In southern Maryland
nearly all the commercial farmers, many of whom are tenant farmers, specialize
in raising tobacco. On the Eastern Shore much of the annual farm income is
derived from the sale of livestock and livestock products. Broilers are raised
mainly in the southern counties, while dairy farming tends to predominate in the
north.
| B | Fisheries |
The harvesting of shellfish in Chesapeake
Bay dominates commercial fishing activities in Maryland. Blue crabs, clams,
oysters, and horseshoe crabs are the most valuable shellfish caught in Maryland
waters. Since the mid-1960s Maryland has been one of the top-ranking states in
the quantity of oysters harvested annually. Large shipments of clams are
regularly sent to New England restaurants to be served fried or steamed. The
remainder of the commercial fishing catch includes white perch, spiny dogfish,
black sea bass, goosefish, croaker, and menhaden, which are taken mainly in the
bay, and flounder, which are caught in offshore waters. Catfish and bullheads
also contribute significantly to the state’s income. The catch of Maryland’s
fisheries in 2004 was valued at $49 million.
| C | Forestry |
Forests cover 41 percent of the state’s
land area, but large-scale forestry and lumbering operations typical of some
parts of the South have not developed in Maryland. Nearly all of the state’s
commercial forest lands are in small privately owned farm woodlots.
| D | Mining |
The most valuable minerals produced in
Maryland are crushed stone, portland cement, and sand and gravel. Stone
production includes the output of limestone, sandstone, marble, granite, and
oystershell. It is used primarily for building construction, highway
construction, and the manufacture of cement and concrete. Stone is produced in
northern and western Maryland. Sand and gravel, which are also used primarily in
construction activities, are produced mainly on the Western Shore. Some peat is
still harvested from bogs in Garrett County in far Western Maryland, primarily
for sale to home gardeners and farmers. Bituminous coal is mined in Garrett and
Allegany counties in western Maryland. Although coal production declined after
1945, it rose sharply in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to increases in
demand. In 2006 Maryland produced 4.6 million metric tons of coal.
| E | Manufacturing |
Manufacturing activities are concentrated
in and around Baltimore. Other industrial centers include Cumberland,
Hagerstown, Frederick, Salisbury, and Cambridge. Established types of
manufacturing in Maryland include those for food products, chemicals, printing
and publishing, primary metals, industrial machinery, and navigation
equipment.
The primary metals industry is
concentrated almost entirely in the Baltimore metropolitan area, where steel,
tinplate, aluminum, and other metals are produced. In addition, some steel is
made in Cumberland, in western Maryland. Metal-processing plants along the
shores of Chesapeake Bay and the lower Patapsco River utilize raw materials from
distant sources rather than from Maryland mines. Iron ore for the huge steel
plant at Sparrows Point, near Baltimore, is imported primarily from Venezuela
and Canada. Scrap iron and steel are also used. Tin is imported mainly from
Bolivia and Malaysia.
The manufacture of transportation
equipment is also carried on mainly in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The
shipyards at Sparrows Point and elsewhere in the area constitute one of the
principal shipbuilding and ship-repairing centers in the United States. Fishing
vessels and other small craft are built and repaired at numerous boatyards in
the Chesapeake Bay area. Motor vehicles are assembled in Baltimore and nearby
suburbs. Motor vehicle parts and railroad equipment are manufactured in the
Baltimore area and in Cumberland. Aircraft are made in Hagerstown, as are
heavy-duty trucks.
The production of foodstuffs is the most
widely distributed manufacturing activity in Maryland, although much of such
activity in the state is accounted for by the Baltimore metropolitan area. There
are many small food-processing plants throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain and
Piedmont regions of the state. Food-processing activities include the production
of beverages, bakery goods, confections, dairy products, meat products, fruit
and vegetable products, and seafood.
The output of chemicals and chemical
products, electrical and nonelectrical machinery, search and navigation
equipment, tin cans, steel tubing, and numerous other metal products is part of
the heavy-industry complex centered on Baltimore. Electrical products
manufacturing is represented by firms such as Black and Decker, headquartered in
Towson, north of Baltimore.
| F | Electricity |
In 2005 Maryland generated 67 percent of
its electricity in thermal plants, primarily fueled by coal or oil. Most of the
electric power generated in the hydroelectric station at Conowingo Dam, on the
lower Susquehanna River, is used in Pennsylvania. Maryland’s 2 nuclear power
plants provide 28 percent of the total electricity output. Most of the power
plants are privately owned.
| G | Transportation |
The development of transportation
facilities has played a major role in the economic development of Maryland.
Baltimore is the chief focus of transportation routes in the state.
| G1 | Highways |
The principal highways linking
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., extend across Maryland in a
roughly northeast-to-southwest direction. These heavily traveled routes, all of
which pass through Baltimore or around it via a belt highway (route 695),
include Interstate Highway 95, of which the section northeast of Baltimore is
known as the J. F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, and U.S. Highway 1. The
Baltimore-Washington Parkway links Baltimore with the national capital. On the
Eastern Shore the chief highways are U.S. highways 50 and 301 and a short
section of U.S. Highway 13. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, opened in 1952, spans the
bay near Annapolis. The bridge has not only brought the state together but ended
the relative isolation of the lower Eastern Shore. Maryland contains 49,827 km
(30,961 mi) of highways, including 774 km (481 mi) of the federal interstate
highway system.
| G2 | Railroads |
There are 1,221 km (759 mi) of
railroad track in Maryland. The principal lines roughly parallel the state’s
chief highways, passing through Baltimore and linking Maryland’s major
industrial and urban areas with other cities located along the Eastern
Seaboard.
| G3 | Rapid Transit |
A rapid transit system for the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area was extended into Maryland in 1978. A
limited system for the Baltimore area was opened in 1983, and extended with a
light rail line in 1992.
| G4 | Airports |
Maryland’s largest airport is the
Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Some 3 smaller airports are situated
throughout the state, mostly private airfields. Much of Maryland is also in the
service area of Dulles International and Washington National airports in
northern Virginia.
| G5 | Ports and Inland Waterways |
Baltimore, one of the chief ports on
the Eastern Seaboard, ranks among the leading U.S. ports in terms of the
quantity of imported cargo received annually. Much of this volume is made up of
raw materials imported for the Baltimore area’s heavy industrial plants. By
comparison, the city has a relatively modest export trade and domestic coastal
trade. Primarily a bulk cargo port, Baltimore is not a port of call for most
passenger lines. Oceangoing vessels can reach Baltimore by way of the bay. In
addition, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, a toll-free canal stretching 31 km
(19 mi) across the Delmarva Peninsula, links Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware
River. This route greatly shortens the length of the shipping route from
Baltimore to Philadelphia, New York, other U.S. ports farther north, and Europe.
Small vessels can navigate some inlets of Chesapeake Bay. The Potomac is
navigable by larger vessels as far upstream as Washington, D.C. The port of
Baltimore now faces its greatest challenge from the increased competition of
Norfolk and Newport News, both in Virginia at the mouth of the Chesapeake
Bay.
| H | Trade |
Baltimore, served by major railroads and
numerous shipping lines and trucking companies, is the state’s leading wholesale
and retail trade center. The chief trade centers in the western part of the
state are Frederick, Hagerstown, and Cumberland. In addition, there are large
retailing establishments in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. On the
Eastern Shore, Salisbury is the major trade center.
| IV | THE PEOPLE OF MARYLAND |
| A | Population Patterns |
According to the 2000 national census,
Maryland ranked 19th among the states in population. The state’s population
totaled 5,296,486, representing an increase of 10.8 percent over the 1990 census
population of 4,781,468. Maryland residents living in urban areas accounted for
86 percent of the state’s total population in 2000. The average population
density for the state in 2006 was 222 persons per sq km (575 per sq mi).
Whites constitute 64 percent of the
population, blacks 27.9 percent, Asians 4 percent, Native Americans 0.3 percent,
and those of mixed heritage or not reporting race 3.8 percent. Native Hawaiians
and other Pacific Islanders number 2,303. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are
4.3 percent of the population.
| B | Principal Cities |
Baltimore is by far the largest city,
with a 2005 population of 635,815. One of the principal seaports and industrial
centers on the Eastern Seaboard, Baltimore also ranks as the chief
transportation, commercial, financial, and cultural center of Maryland.
Baltimore is part of the vast urbanized area stretching from Washington, D.C.,
to Boston, Massachusetts, that is sometimes called a megalopolis. The Baltimore
metropolitan area comprises the city of Baltimore and Anne Arundel, Baltimore,
Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s counties.
Within the Baltimore metropolitan area
are numerous residential and industrial suburbs of the central city. The largest
of these is Dundalk, an unincorporated community of 65,800 inhabitants in
Baltimore County that ranked as one of the state’s largest communities. Other
large unincorporated communities in the Baltimore metropolitan area include
Catonsville and Essex. Columbia, in Howard County, is one of the nation’s first
completely planned cities.
In the Maryland section of the
metropolitan area of Washington, D.C. are Silver Spring, Bethesda, and Wheaton,
which are unincorporated residential communities.
Rockville, a center for computer and
aerospace research and government offices spreading from nearby Washington,
D.C., had a 2005 population of 57,402. Frederick, with a population of 57,907,
is primarily a trade and food-processing center in the western part of the
Piedmont. Hagerstown is the largest city in western Maryland. In 2005 it had a
population of 38,326. Situated in Hagerstown Valley, it serves as an industrial,
trade, and transportation center. Cumberland, with a population of 20,915, is
the principal commercial, industrial, and transportation center in the
westernmost part of the state.
Annapolis has served as the state capital
of Maryland since 1694 and is one of the oldest settlements in Maryland. It had
a population of 36,300 in 2005.
| C | Religion |
Of Maryland’s present inhabitants, about
one-fourth of those professing a religion are Roman Catholics. The largest
Protestant denominations are Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians.
About 4 percent of the state’s inhabitants are Jewish.
| V | EDUCATION AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS |
| A | Education |
In early colonial times, schools in
Maryland were private institutions attended primarily by the sons of wealthy
landowners. The first publicly supported school in the colony, King William’s
School was established at Annapolis in 1696.
In 1826 a state law was enacted providing
for public schools throughout the state, and the first of these was opened in
1829 in Baltimore. In 1839 Baltimore also became the site of the first U.S.
public high school to be established south of the Mason-Dixon line. An effective
statewide system of free public education, however, was created only after the
establishment of a state board of education and the appointment of a state
superintendent of public instruction in 1864. School attendance is now
compulsory in Maryland for children from the ages of 5 to 16. Some 17 percent of
the children in the state attend private schools.
In the 2002–2003 school year Maryland
spent $10,051 on each student’s education, compared to a national average of
$9,299. There were 15.8 students for every teacher, compared to a national
average of 15.9. Of those older than 25 years of age in the state, 87 percent
had a high school diploma, while the national average was 84 percent.
| A1 | Higher Education |
Maryland’s oldest-existing institution
of higher learning and the first college that was established is Washington
College. It was established at Chestertown in 1782 and named for George
Washington, who headed the list of contributors and served on the governing
board. St. John's College in Annapolis, chartered two years later, included the
old King William’s School. The college is now known for its nonelective academic
program that stresses the study of great works. The renowned Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore was opened in 1876. Among the other noted private
colleges are Goucher College in Towson, Hood College in Frederick, and Loyola
College in Maryland in Baltimore.
The University of Maryland, College Park
is the largest institution of higher learning in Maryland and the flagship of
the state-administered University System of Maryland. In addition, there are
state colleges and universities in Baltimore, Bowie, Frostburg, Saint Mary’s
City, Salisbury, and Towson. Morgan State University in Baltimore has a
tradition of serving the black community. All of the Maryland public four-year
colleges and universities, except St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Morgan
State University, are now part of the University System of Maryland. Annapolis
is the home of the United States Naval Academy. Among the various schools of art
in the region is the renowned Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore.
In 2004–2005 Maryland had 30 public and 27 private institutions of higher
learning.
| B | Libraries |
Maryland is served by numerous public
libraries, including the outstanding Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, the
leading public library in the state. The libraries are operated by 24
tax-supported library systems, which annually circulate an average of 9.4 books
per resident, one of the highest rates in the country. Bookmobiles serve
residents in some rural areas. The Maryland State Library in Annapolis, founded
in 1827, houses numerous collections of special and general interest. The
largest university library in the state is that of Johns Hopkins University.
Documents relating to the history of Maryland are housed in the library of the
Maryland Historical Society, in Baltimore; in the State Hall of Records, in
Annapolis; and in a number of other libraries. Among the noted special
collections in the state are the National Library of Medicine, part of the
National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, the National Agriculture Library, in
Beltsville, and the music library at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. In the
U.S. Naval Academy’s library are many works dealing with military and naval
subjects. Morgan State University library houses a special collection of black
writings and documents relating to black history. The Medical and Chirurgical
Faculty Library in Baltimore is outstanding in the fields of medicine and
surgery.
| C | Museums |
Most of the noted museums in Maryland are
situated in Baltimore. Among them are several fine-arts museums, including the
Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Gallery. The chief historical museum
in Maryland is maintained in Baltimore by the Maryland Historical Society.
Hagerstown is the seat of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. In Saint
Michaels is Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The U.S. Naval Academy Museum, in
Annapolis, houses items relating to naval history.
| D | Communications |
There were 13 daily newspapers published
in Maryland in 2002. The first newspaper issued in the state was the Maryland
Gazette, established at Annapolis in 1727. A second Maryland Gazette,
also published at Annapolis, was founded in 1745. The first newspaper in
Baltimore, the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser, began
operations in 1773. In the early decades of the 19th century, Niles’ Weekly
Register, published in Baltimore by Hezekiah Niles, was one of the most
influential papers in the United States.
Baltimore is the home of the state’s
leading daily, the Sun. The Sun dates from 1837. The noted editor
and critic H. L. Mencken was associated with the newspaper from 1906 to 1941.
Other major Maryland dailies include the Salisbury Daily Times,
the Hagerstown Daily Mail and Morning Herald, the Cumberland
Times-News, and the Annapolis Capital.
The first radio stations in Maryland, WCAO
and WFBR, began broadcasting in Baltimore in 1922. WMAR-TV, the first television
station in the state, began operations in 1947 in Baltimore. In 2002 Maryland
had 39 AM and 60 FM radio stations and 16 television stations.
| E | Music and Theater |
Early in the 19th century, Baltimore
became a leading U.S. theater center, and theatrical activity there flourished
for more than 100 years. During the last half of the 19th century, Baltimore
also developed as an outstanding music center. The Peabody Conservatory of Music
opened in 1868 as the Academy of Music. After 1874 it became the center of
musical activity in Maryland, and is now a division of the Peabody Institute of
Johns Hopkins University.
Concert and opera seasons are offered by
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and the Peabody.
The Morris A. Mechanic Theater in Baltimore lends itself to a wide variety of
productions. Touring professional theater companies appear regularly in
Baltimore, and there are several summer theaters and a growing number of
little-theater groups in the state. The Vagabond Players of Baltimore is one of
the oldest continuously operated “little theaters” in the United States. Major
performing arts centers include the Ballet Theatre of Annapolis, Center Stage in
Baltimore, and the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts in Olney.
| VI | RECREATION AND PLACES OF INTEREST |
Maryland offers both residents and visitors
a wide variety of recreational facilities, places to visit, and magnificent
scenery. Maryland has a diversity of landscape that is no less than that of
larger states, ranging from mountains and lakes in the west to ocean beaches in
the east. For centuries Marylanders have engaged in a broad range of outdoor
activities, which today include fishing, sailing, swimming, hunting, and hiking.
Maryland also is noted for the high quality of its lacrosse teams, and a modern
form of jousting has been designated as the state sport. Maryland has several
well-known Thoroughbred racetracks, including Pimlico, in Baltimore, site of the
annual Preakness Stakes; Bowie Race Course, in Bowie; and Laurel Race Course, in
Laurel. The Capital Centre, in Landover, is a large indoor sports and
entertainment arena. Ocean City, on the Atlantic Ocean, is a popular seaside
resort and a noted center for deep-water sport fishing.
| A | National Parks |
The units in Maryland administered by the
National Park Service include Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic
Shrine, which is situated in the city of Baltimore and the defense of which
inspired the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal National Historical Park includes a section of the historic canal
bordering the Potomac River. Hampton National Historic Site, an example of the
lavish mansions built in the late 18th century, is situated near Towson, a
suburb of Baltimore. In western Maryland are Antietam National Battlefield, site
of an important battle during the Civil War (1861-1865) (see Antietam,
Battle of), Antietam National Cemetery, and part of Harpers Ferry National
Historical Park. Near Frederick is Monocacy National Battlefield, site of a
critical engagement during the Confederates’ last attempt to capture Washington,
D.C. In the section of Maryland near Washington, D.C., are located the Clara
Barton National Historic Site, home of the founder of the American Red Cross,
and parts of National Capital Parks. Near Port Tobacco is the Thomas Stone
National Historic Site, home of one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence. Overlooking the Monocacy Valley is Catoctin Mountain Park,
situated on a forested ridge forming the eastern ramparts of the Appalachian
Mountains. Assateague Island National Seashore lies on Assateague Island, off
the Atlantic coast of Maryland and Virginia. See also Clara Barton.
| B | State Forests |
The two largest state forests in Maryland
are Savage River State Forest and Green Ridge State Forest. Both of them are
situated in the western part of the state. Facilities for camping, hunting, and
fishing are available in most of the state forests.
| C | State Parks |
Many of Maryland’s state parks have
facilities for camping, picnicking, boating, hiking, and nature studies. The
largest, Patapsco State Park, is made up of six recreation areas along the
Patapsco River. Wye Oak State Park, on the Eastern Shore, was established to
preserve a white oak that was more than 450 years old when it was toppled in a
storm in June 2002. Fort Frederick State Park, in western Maryland, contains a
restored fort that was originally built in 1756, during the French and Indian
War. Washington Monument State Park is on South Mountain in western Maryland.
The stone monument honoring George Washington was erected in 1827, the first
monument to Washington erected in the country.
| D | Other Places of Interest |
Among the numerous historic cities of
interest to visit in Maryland is Annapolis, the state capital, which has been
designated as a national historic district. Baltimore, like Annapolis, is also
noted for its numerous places of historic interest. The Babe Ruth Birthplace and
Baseball Center has exhibits and films about the sports legend. The National
Aquarium on the Baltimore waterfront contains 12 major themed exhibits,
including marine mammals.
Historic buildings are numerous
throughout the state. Of particular interest are the fine old mansions and
churches of Annapolis, Frederick, and some of the picturesque communities on the
Eastern Shore. In southern Maryland is Saint Marys City, the site of the first
settlement in the state, dating from 1634.
| E | Annual Events |
Horse racing is one of the most popular
spectator sports in Maryland. Well-known races include the Maryland Hunt Cup,
which is a steeplechase held in Baltimore in April, the Preakness Stakes, in
Baltimore in May, and the Maryland Million Day, at Laurel in October.
Maryland Day is celebrated in late March
in Saint Marys City. In June, at Columbia, a Fine Arts Festival is held. June
also marks the Bay Country Music Festival, in Centreville. On June 14, a Flag
Day celebration is held at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Maryland State Fair
opens annually in late August at Timonium. Jousting tournaments, the official
state sport, are held in several locations during the summer. Defenders Day is
commemorated in September by a mock bombardment of Fort McHenry in the harbor at
Baltimore. October is marked by the celebration of Olde Princess Anne Days in
Somerset County. In early December is an annual candlelight tour of historic
Havre de Grace.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the home
of Baltimore’s major league professional baseball team. The Washington Bullets
basketball team and Washington Capitals hockey team play at Landover. In late
1995 the owner of the Cleveland Browns professional football franchise announced
his intention to move the team to Baltimore. The team, renamed the Baltimore
Ravens, began to play in Baltimore in 1996 at Memorial Stadium. During the 1998
season the Ravens moved into a new stadium built next to Oriole Park at Camden
Yards.
| VII | GOVERNMENT |
Maryland’s present constitution, the
state’s fourth, was adopted in 1867. Previous state constitutions had been
adopted in 1776, 1851, an 1864. A proposed amendment to the constitution must
initially be approved by three-fifths of the membership of each house of the
state legislature. To be adopted, the amendment must then be approved by a
majority of the electorate voting on it in a general election. Amendments may
also be proposed by specific constitutional conventions.
| A | Executive |
The chief executive, the governor, is
elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two terms in succession.
The governor has wide appointive powers, which extend to choosing many county,
as well as state, administrative officials. The governor may veto proposed
legislation, but the state legislature can override his veto by a three-fifths
majority vote in each house. Other elected officials in the executive are the
lieutenant governor, the attorney general, and the comptroller of the treasury,
all of whom serve four-year terms.
| B | Legislative |
The state legislature, officially called
the General Assembly, consists of a Senate of 47 members and a House of
Delegates of 141 members. All legislators are elected to four-year terms. The
general assembly convenes annually in January for 90-day sessions, which can be
extended by approval of a supermajority of the legislature. The governor may
call special sessions.
| C | Judicial |
The court of appeals is composed of a
chief judge and six judges. The court of special appeals is made up of a chief
judge and 12 judges. Circuit courts include the circuit court of Baltimore City,
known as the supreme bench of Baltimore. Judges of the two appellate courts
serve 10-year terms and the circuit court justices serve 15-year terms.
Initially they are appointed by the governor. Then, after at least one year’s
service, the judges run on a nonpartisan ballot, frequently unopposed, for full
terms. The governor appoints the chief judges of the appellate courts and the
chief judge of each judicial circuit. Lower state courts include district courts
and orphans’ courts.
| D | Local Government |
There are 23 counties in Maryland, of
which 15 are governed by boards of county commissioners. The others are
administered by county councils. County commissioners and county council members
also are elected to four-year terms, as are treasurers, circuit court clerks,
registers of wills, state’s attorneys, sheriffs, and surveyors. Most other
county administrative officials and board members are appointed either by the
governor or by the county government. The city of Baltimore is administratively
independent of any county.
Most of the municipalities in Maryland,
including Baltimore, have the mayor and council system of municipal government.
Many large unincorporated suburban communities in the state are administered
directly by the county governments.
| E | National Representation |
Maryland has eight representatives and
two senators. It casts ten electoral votes in presidential elections.
| VIII | HISTORY |
| A | Early Inhabitants |
Pottery, axheads, and burial sites
indicate that Native Americans lived on the upper Chesapeake Bay and its
surrounding lands for many centuries. At the beginning of historic times in the
early 17th century, various peoples were present who spoke languages of the
Algonquian group: the Conoy and Patuxent lived on the Western Shore of the bay;
and the Choptank, Nanticoke, Assateague, and Pocomoke maintained villages on the
Eastern Shore. The Susquehannock, a people who spoke an Iroquoian language,
lived near the mouth of the Susquehanna River. They hunted and raided to the
south along Chesapeake Bay.
Eventually nearly all of these peoples
moved away to escape the pressure of white settlement. Those who remained were
scattered or much reduced in population, either as a result of conflicts with
white settlers or with other Native Americans or as a result of European
diseases, to which they had little resistance. By the end of the 18th century
almost no Native Americans remained in Maryland.
| B | European Exploration and Settlement |
Spanish explorers sailed along the
Maryland coast in the 16th century. In the early 17th century, fur traders from
Virginia colony traded with Native Americans in the area. Under a commercial
license issued by Virginia, William Claiborne built the first white settlement
in the area in 1631. It was a fur trading post on Kent Island, east of
modern-day Annapolis.
In 1632, George Calvert, 1st Baron
Baltimore, induced King Charles I of England to grant him the land north of the
Potomac River, which had been part of the grant to Virginia colony. Calvert, a
former high adviser to the king and recent convert to Roman Catholicism, wanted
to establish a community where fellow Catholics, who were persecuted in England,
could worship freely. In addition, he anticipated a financial profit from his
colonial enterprise. Calvert died before Charles completed the charter, and the
grant went to his son Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. It included the
land from the south bank of the Potomac north to the 40th parallel, as well as
all but the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula. Maryland’s western boundary ran from
the “fountain” (source) of the Potomac northward until it met the 40th parallel.
Cecilius Calvert proceeded to organize an expedition of about 200 settlers under
the leadership of his younger brother Leonard Calvert, who was to serve as
provincial governor. The settlers reached the province in March 1634, first
setting foot on Maryland soil at Saint Clements Island. They established Saint
Marys (later Saint Marys City) on the site of a former Native American
village—which they bought from its inhabitants—near the mouth of the Saint
George’s River (now Saint Marys River).
The settlers cultivated the land
previously cleared by the Native Americans, planting corn and tobacco. Their
first harvests were good, and they remained at peace with the Native Americans.
But they had difficulties of other sorts. Claiborne refused to recognize Lord
Baltimore’s jurisdiction over Kent Island, which he claimed was part of
Virginia. As a result, petty warfare broke out in 1635 between Claiborne’s and
Baltimore’s forces. In 1638 the English Commissioners for Foreign Plantations
ruled that Kent Island came under the jurisdiction of Maryland.
Another early conflict occurred between
Lord Baltimore and the provincial legislature. Under the terms of the charter,
the legislature was restricted to approving legislation proposed by Baltimore.
The legislature soon demanded the power to initiate legislation. After resisting
its demand, Baltimore yielded on this important point in 1638, when he agreed
that laws enacted by the legislature and approved by the governor should be
temporarily valid pending his own approval.
| B1 | Civil Strife |
During the 1640s, Maryland was shaken
by a succession of conflicts related to the civil strife occurring in England.
At that time the king was engaged in a struggle for power with Parliament, the
English legislature. Lord Baltimore supported the king, while many Maryland
colonists were sympathetic to Parliament, which was controlled by conservative
Protestants known as Puritans. Even though complete religious freedom prevailed
in the province, Baltimore’s adherence to Catholicism was a cause of unrest
among the settlers, a majority of whom were Protestants. The differences between
proprietor and settlers tended to make the proprietary authority unstable, and
in 1644 Claiborne seized power and drove Governor Calvert into exile in
Virginia. In 1646 Calvert reasserted proprietary authority with troops supplied
by the governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley.
Governor Calvert died in June 1647.
The struggle between the king and Parliament had become a civil war in England,
and it was by that time apparent that the Parliamentarians would prevail. To
gain favor with the strongly anti-Catholic Parliamentarians, as well as to
placate the Protestant majority in Maryland, Lord Baltimore appointed a
Protestant, William Stone, as governor and named other Protestants to important
positions in the government. At the same time he sought to ensure that the
religious freedom of the Catholic minority would not be compromised by the
Protestant majority. Largely as a result of his prodding, the legislature passed
the Act Concerning Religion in 1649, assuring freedom of worship to all who
believed in the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Although limited to
Christians and repealed in 1692, this was one of the earliest statutes of
religious liberty.
Lord Baltimore’s adroit political
maneuvers were of no avail. Parliament appointed commissioners for Maryland, one
of whom was his old enemy Claiborne. In 1654 the commission reorganized the
provincial government, eliminating the proprietor’s political authority and
removing Governor Stone. Subsequently, the Puritan-controlled legislature passed
anti-Catholic legislation. Baltimore refused to accept the loss of his authority
and doggedly worked in England for its restoration. In March 1655, Stone led a
force of 130 soldiers to try to recapture the government, but was thoroughly
beaten and most of his force captured. The Puritans executed four of Stone’s
lieutenants. Baltimore meanwhile secured the assurance of Lord Protector Oliver
Cromwell, who ruled England in the name of Parliament, that he was still the
proprietor of Maryland. Finally, in November 1657, he reached an agreement with
the Puritan commissioners to restore his former authority over the colony.
During the 1660s and 1670s,
proprietary authority was largely unchallenged. However, the Protestant farmers
scattered along the shores of Chesapeake Bay resented the province’s Catholic
leadership in Saint Marys City. In 1688 English King James II, a Catholic, was
succeeded by the Protestant monarchs William and Mary. By an accident of fate
the provincial governor delayed in proclaiming the new monarchs, giving new life
to the suspicion, long held among Maryland Protestants, that insidious
anti-Protestant plots were afoot in the province. The suspicion renewed old
grievances. In 1689 Protestant rebels, led by John Coode, overthrew the
proprietary government and asked King William to place the colony under royal
control. This was accomplished with the arrival of the first royal governor in
1692. In the same year the Church of England was made the official church of the
province. The change in regimes also resulted in the shifting of the provincial
capital in 1694 from Catholic-dominated Saint Marys City to Protestant-dominated
Anne Arundel Town (now Annapolis).
| B2 | Expanding Economy |
By the late 17th century, settlers
had spread over much of Maryland, primarily along the rivers and creeks that
supplied oceanborne shipping. Tobacco prices encouraged further planting in both
Maryland and Virginia. Some of the settlers had large plantations, but most
worked smaller tobacco farms averaging 100 hectares (250 acres) in size,
sometimes with the help of white indentured servants or black slaves from Africa
or the Caribbean. In the 1690s, when slave prices fell and the supply of white
servants shrank, planters began using slaves almost exclusively. Maryland and
Virginia law at the same time defined black slavery as a lifetime
condition.
| C | The 18th Century |
Maryland remained a royal province
until 1715. In that year it became a proprietary province again because Charles
Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, had converted to Protestantism.
| C1 | Expanding Population |
Throughout the 17th century newcomers
to the Chesapeake area typically underwent a period of months or years during
which they fell prey to malaria and other strange diseases. The death rate was
extremely high and kept the population down. By the early 18th century, however,
more and more Marylanders were native born and had resistance that allowed them
to live longer and have larger families. Population grew accordingly, rising
from about 25,000 in 1700 to about 130,000 in 1750. By the time of the American
Revolution (1775-1783) the population was about 225,000.
Settlement continued to concentrate
on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. However, beginning about 1700, English settlers
moved west into the Piedmont. By the 1730s, Germans began to move south from
Pennsylvania into Frederick County, which until the revolution embraced all of
western Maryland. Farmers shipped their crops to Baltimore for sale, and
Baltimore, which had been established in 1729, became the main outlet for
Maryland’s farm produce.
In 1769 a long-term boundary dispute
between Maryland and Pennsylvania was finally resolved when Great Britain (a
union of three countries headed by England) officially recognized latitude
39°43’ north, named the Mason-Dixon Line after its British surveyors, as the
boundary. Colonies north of the Mason-Dixon Line eventually came to be called
the North, and those south of it were the South. Over the next 90 years the
regional differences between the North and the South were to grow until they
erupted into civil war.
| C2 | Independence From Britain |
Although Marylanders had grievances
against British rule, their grievances were fewer and less serious than those of
other American colonies. Daniel Dulany the Younger, a Maryland lawyer, presented
such powerful arguments against the Stamp Act, imposed on the colonies in 1765,
that British statesman William Pitt was influenced to argue in Parliament for
its repeal.
From 1715 to the mid-1770s, however,
Maryland politics largely turned on conflicts between the lord proprietor and
the antiproprietary forces protesting the fees and restrictions imposed by the
lord’s regime. In 1770 a statute that established proprietary fees, and also set
required contributions to the established Church of England, expired. For
several years every attempt to reestablish the fees aroused as much or more
resentment than the actions of the British government. Maryland’s movement
toward independence from Great Britain thus began as a local dispute over
provincial issues. The patriot Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who later became a
leader in the American Revolution, first got into political dispute by
publishing a series of articles in the Maryland Gazette under the pen
name of First Citizen. Carroll used constitutional arguments to rebut the
pro-fee position taken by Dulany, the chief proprietary spokesman.
Maryland became involved in
continental issues in 1774 when the British blockaded the harbor of Boston,
Massachusetts, where patriots had been protesting the tea tax and monopoly.
Carroll and other popular leaders, such as Samuel Chase and William Paca, turned
complaints about the proprietary regime into public resistance to British
control. In October of that year a group of Marylanders staged their own tea tax
incident by burning the brigantine Peggy Stewart, which had arrived in
Annapolis harbor with 2,000 pounds of tax-paid tea in its cargo.
Of more permanent importance was the
establishment in that year of the Maryland provincial convention, consisting of
deputies elected from each of the counties. The convention and its executive
arm, the council of safety, gradually took over government of the province. The
convention sent delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, beginning in 1774, to help coordinate resistance to British
oppression.
Despite the increasing popular
sentiment against Great Britain, the convention remained cautious and officially
opposed independence until colonial troops had been fighting the British for
more than a year. Finally, in May 1776, the convention asked Governor Eden to
return to England. It then passed a resolution directing the province’s
delegates to Congress to support independence. The delegates voted in favor of
it in Congress in July 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
Charles Carroll, Samuel Chase, William Paca, and Thomas Stone signed the
document for Maryland.
During the American Revolution,
Marylanders distinguished themselves in battle in places far to the north and
south. Maryland privateers, or merchant vessels converted to warships, harried
British shipping along the coast.
| C3 | Early Statehood |
A convention met in Annapolis in 1776
to draw up a state constitution. In February 1777 the legislature elected Thomas
Johnson as the state’s first governor under the new constitution.
In February 1781 Maryland was the
last state to authorize its delegates to sign the Articles of Confederation,
setting forth a governmental system for the United States. Maryland had
hesitated because of its contention that Virginia and other states that had vast
land claims in the west should cede these to the federal government. Virginia,
which had the largest claim, was the last to cede it and in the meantime tried
to make a bargain by offering instead to give land to Revolutionary War
veterans. Maryland was adamant, however, and Virginia finally gave up its claim
on January 2, 1781.
In September 1786 Annapolis was host
to a convention of states for the purpose of discussing uniform regulations for
trade and commerce. The moving force behind the convention was patriot James
Madison, a Virginia legislator who had experienced the frustration of trying to
set navigation rules that Virginia, Maryland, and all other concerned states
could agree on for the Potomac River. Madison, along with many others, believed
that only the federal government could effectively enforce uniform trade
regulations and that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate for that
purpose.
Nine states accepted invitations to
the convention, but only five—Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware—actually sent delegates. Despite the poor attendance, they agreed that
not only commerce but other operations of government under the Articles needed
revision. The convention drafted a resolution calling on the states to meet in
Philadelphia the next spring to “render the constitution of the Federal
Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union.” The proposal was approved
by Congress, and the resulting Philadelphia convention of 1787 drew up the
Constitution of the United States. Maryland became the seventh state to ratify
the Constitution, on April 28, 1788.
In 1790 Maryland ceded a half-square
of land along the Potomac River, amounting to 177 sq km (68 sq mi), for the site
of a permanent federal capital. This was called the District of Columbia; the
capital, when it became the seat of the federal government in 1800, was named
Washington.
| C4 | Growth of Baltimore |
By the late 18th century, wheat—which
was grown on the upper Eastern Shore of Maryland, in the Susquehanna River basin
in Pennsylvania, and in the lush Piedmont of western Maryland—was creating
enormous wealth and encouraging the growth of cities, especially Baltimore and
Philadelphia. The markets for wheat and flour, both domestic and foreign, seemed
inexhaustible. To sell the vast amounts of wheat produced, Baltimore
entrepreneurs built ships, docks, warehouses, and offices; they bought
insurance, paid clerks, issued newspaper advertisements, and fought savagely for
competitive advantage over merchants in Philadelphia. Baltimore grew swiftly.
Millers built mills along the fast-running streams that fed into the harbor.
Hotels, taverns, and churches went up. Construction of wagons, barrels, and
houses joined ironmaking as basic Baltimore industries.
| D | The 19th Century |
| D1 | War of 1812 |
The War of 1812 (1812-1815) broke out
between the United States and Britain over the issues of free trade and
impressment of seamen. British ships began attacking communities along
Chesapeake Bay early in 1813, and in August 1814, a British squadron, joined by
recently arrived transports carrying several thousand troops under Major General
Robert Ross, set out to capture Washington and Baltimore. The fleet sailed up
the Patuxent River and discharged Ross’s troops at Benedict. They proceeded
unimpeded to Bladensburg, near Washington. There they routed a U.S. force led by
General William H. Winder. They then entered Washington and burned several
buildings, including the White House.
Following the burning of Washington,
the British returned to their ships on the Patuxent. On September 12, Ross’s
troops were landed at North Point, at the mouth of the Patapsco River below
Baltimore. As they marched toward the city, the British engaged a smaller force
of local militia, which inflicted severe casualties on them and killed General
Ross. The militia then retreated toward the city and regrouped with 12,000
troops to face the British. However, the British retired to their ships on
September 14 without firing a shot. Meanwhile, on September 13, British warships
had attacked Fort McHenry, which guarded the entrance to Baltimore Harbor.
Intense bombardment of the fort continued for 25 hours but failed to force it to
surrender, and the British withdrew from the harbor on September 14. The entire
engagement, observed by Maryland lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key from a
flag-of-truce boat in the harbor, was the inspiration for his poem, “The
Star-Spangled Banner.” Set to music, this became the U.S. national anthem in
1931.
| D2 | Transportation Revolution |
Baltimore’s economic growth clearly
depended on transportation links with the West. Thus in 1811 the federal
government began construction of the National Road westward from Cumberland,
Maryland, to Wheeling, Virginia (now in West Virginia), along the Ohio River.
The road opened between those two points in 1818, and in 1821 turnpike companies
completed links between Baltimore and Cumberland. In July 1828, business
interests centered in the city of Washington broke ground for the projected
Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, starting on the Potomac, that was supposed
to connect the nation’s capital with the Ohio River. In 1850 the C&O canal
reached Cumberland and stopped there. It never reached Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
its original intended terminus, but it was a boon to commerce nevertheless
because its western end linked up with the National Road.
At the same time, Baltimore
investors began work on a long-distance railroad. This revolutionary approach to
moving people and commodities proved to be a complete success despite the
obstacle of the Allegheny Mountains in the west. The Baltimore and Ohio, or
B&O, Railroad, completed track to Wheeling in 1852; it set an example for
the nation and ensured Baltimore’s prominence as a center of trade. By 1860 the
city had a population of 212,418, or nearly one-third of the state’s total
population of 687,049. From the city’s harbor, vessels carried flour and other
products to all parts of the world. Some were the renowned Baltimore clipper
schooners, swift sailing vessels that first appeared toward the end of the
revolution and were built chiefly in Eastern Shore and Baltimore shipyards.
After 1850, Baltimore’s shipyards built fewer sailing ships and concentrated on
construction of steam-powered vessels.
| D3 | The Civil War |
Slavery was one of the most
important issues in national politics in the first half of the 19th century.
Politicians of the North pressed to end it, both because it was considered
immoral and because white labor could not compete with unpaid black labor.
Politicians of the South felt that slavery was necessary to their agricultural
system and that the North was trying to dominate the country economically. By
the 1850s, Southerners saw their power slipping in Congress, and the clamor by
Northern abolitionists—those who wanted to end slavery totally and
immediately—was at its peak. Many in the South came to believe that secession
from the federal Union was the only way to protect “Southern rights,” including
the right to own slaves.
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected
president as the candidate of the Republican Party, which opposed the spread of
slavery. The state of South Carolina had threatened to secede if the Republicans
won, and in December 1860 it did so. Other slavery states followed in quick
succession, and in February 1861 they formed a confederacy, the Confederate
States of America. The American Civil War began officially on April 12, 1861,
when the Confederates bombarded a federal fort in the harbor of Charleston,
South Carolina.
Maryland had ties to both North and
South. Some Marylanders, particularly the state’s 14,000 slaveholders, favored
secession. Many more opposed it but also opposed the use of armed force to
return seceded states to the Union. In Baltimore on April 19, 1861, a
pro-Confederacy mob attacked Massachusetts troops as they made their way between
rail stations, shedding the first blood of the war and causing outrage in the
loyal states. President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, thus
allowing him to detain Confederate sympathizers without a court hearing, and by
mid-May Union Army soldiers occupied Federal Hill in Baltimore. Baltimore
remained occupied throughout the war. Realizing the strategic importance of
keeping Maryland in the Union, the Lincoln Administration employed force as
necessary to discourage secessionism. In the 1861 election for governor, the
military took measures, including the arrest of many pro-Confederacy
politicians, to guarantee the election of a pro-Union candidate. A
constitutional convention in 1864 abolished slavery, making Maryland the first
state to do so on its own.
Eventually more than 50,000
Marylanders fought for the Union and about 22,000 volunteered for the
Confederacy. Three major battles took place on Maryland soil. On September 14,
1862, at South Mountain, The Union Army under General George McClellan met
Confederate troops led by General Robert E. Lee and drove them back several
miles toward Sharpsburg. On September 17, these forces clashed again in the
Battle of Antietam (Southerners call it the Battle of Sharpsburg), the war’s
bloodiest single day. More than 18,000 soldiers were wounded, 4,700 killed, and
3,000 missing in action. The failure of this foray by Lee north of the Potomac
forestalled European intervention on the South’s behalf. It also gave Lincoln
the victory he needed to provide a favorable atmosphere for his Emancipation
Proclamation, freeing all slaves in rebel-held areas, which he announced five
days after the battle. It became effective on January 1, 1863. On July 9, 1864,
an advance on Washington by Confederate troops was delayed by a small Union
force at the Battle of the Monocacy, enabling Union forces to fortify the
national capital.
| D4 | The Late 19th Century |
After the Civil War, black
Marylanders found the path toward equality obstructed and disappointing. In the
countryside, whites vandalized some freedmen’s schools. Many former slaves moved
to Baltimore in search of better lives. There they joined a vibrant community
made up largely of blacks who had been free for generations. When the 15th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted black men the right to vote in 1870,
Maryland was not one of the states that ratified the measure. Black Baltimoreans
nonetheless paraded proudly through the city.
| D5 | The Economy and Politics |
The state’s economy grew unevenly in
the late 19th century. The B&O remained an important link to the Midwest,
and C&O barges continued to bring large quantities of western Maryland coal
to the Tidewater area. Baltimore lost its prominence in flour milling to places
closer to the new Western wheat belt, but the city flourished as a center for
clothing, canning, fertilizer, steel, banking, and coastal shipping. Women and
children played important roles in some of this work, especially in canning and
clothing. Agriculture on the Eastern Shore converted to vegetable and fruit
growing (or truck farming) and eventually to poultry. On the Western Shore,
farmers in the southern counties continued to rely on tobacco; in the Piedmont,
farm families looked increasingly to the markets of Baltimore and Washington.
Until the supply sharply dropped in the 1890s, oystering boomed in Chesapeake
Bay. It also produced armed conflicts as Marylanders and Virginians fought over
the remaining oyster beds. Violence on a larger scale erupted in 1877, when
B&O workers attempted to strike against the railroad and were put down by
militia.
Meanwhile railroad and shipping
interests heavily influenced the state’s Democratic Party, which, under the
leadership of U.S. Senator Arthur Pue Gorman and Baltimore political broker I.
Freeman Rasin, dominated politics, welcomed former Confederates, and developed
into a highly efficient political machine—an organization to control party
offices and appointments to government jobs. In statewide elections Republicans,
calling for reform, often ran a close second.
| D6 | Institutional Reforms and Improvements |
As elsewhere in the United States,
changing attitudes toward politics and the role of the state in daily affairs
produced in Maryland an impulse toward reform and improvement as the 19th
century ended. The University of Maryland Medical School pioneered in adopting
the French clinical method of teaching and took special interest in the care of
mothers and newborn infants. At the Johns Hopkins Hospital (opened in 1889) and
School of Medicine (1893), researchers made strides in formulating the germ
theory of disease and finding effective ways to treat tuberculosis. Such efforts
led to improvements in obstetric care, new public health measures, and fresh
attitudes toward housing and caring for the poor, the sick, and the
disabled.
Johns Hopkins University, founded in
1876, led the way in graduate education. Its faculty members also campaigned for
better management of the oyster beds in particular and for more rational public
policies generally. Educators succeeded in strengthening and standardizing
teacher training. In Baltimore, Henrietta Szold developed model programs for the
care and education of immigrant children. Enoch Pratt, a Baltimore merchant,
sponsored the first citywide system of free libraries, which opened in
1886.
In 1894 the legislature restricted
child labor and set standards for pure milk; in 1896 it adopted the secret
ballot; and in 1902 it passed the country’s first workers’ compensation law. The
Maryland Bar Association formed in 1895 and called for revised laws and
professionalism among judges. Women in favor of good government formed a state
federation in 1899 and five years later organized a women’s suffrage
association.
| E | The 20th Century |
| E1 | World Wars and Depression |
The entry of the United States into
World War I in 1917 had immediate and far-reaching impact on Maryland. Increases
in the government workforce in Washington, D.C., spurred suburban
growth—housing, commercial development, and roadbuilding—in neighboring
Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The U.S. War Department and Navy
Department took over large expanses of land for training camps and weapons
testing grounds. Shipbuilding, munitions, uniforms, and other military
production gave Baltimore’s economy a strong boost. During the war H.L. Mencken,
the Baltimore journalist, literary critic, and magazine editor, stopped writing
his weekly opinion column, so strong were his pro-German sympathies. After the
war Mencken resumed his place as a critic at large, becoming a figure of
national prominence.
During the unprecedented four
administrations of Democratic Governor Albert C. Ritchie (1920-1935), Maryland
made changes in the structure and budgeting of state government and spent large
sums to improve the road system. Ritchie campaigned for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 1924 and 1932. The Maryland economy largely continued
strong during the 1920s. Its diversity helped somewhat to cushion the blows
resulting from the stock market crash of October 1929 and the ensuing Great
Depression, the economic hardtimes of the 1930s. Nonetheless, the depression
made a deep mark on nearly everyone. A Peoples Unemployment League formed in
Baltimore in 1933; three years later a labor strike in Cumberland led to
riots.
Even before the United States
entered World War II (1939-1945), the war purchases of Britain and some of the
other Allied Powers meant increased business for Maryland industries like the
Glenn L. Martin Company aircraft plant near Baltimore. After the United States
joined the Allies, war mobilization moved the state’s economy into high gear.
From April 1940 to November 1943 the labor force in Baltimore gained 215,000
jobs while losing 55,000 people to military service. Shipbuilding and repair
workers, many of them newly arrived in Baltimore, labored around the clock. The
time they took to build a Liberty ship fell from 244 to 30 days. The black
percentage of the Maryland workforce climbed from 7 percent to 17 percent. Women
worked in both light and heavy industry, drove buses, tested weapons, and made
explosives. Doctors and nurses from University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins
medical schools formed hospital units. A combined Maryland-Virginia National
Guard force, the 29th Division of the U.S. Army, was in the bloody fighting at
Omaha Beach when the Allies made their great amphibious assault on D-Day, June
6, 1944.
When the Allies won the war in the
summer of 1945, most Marylanders wanted to return to normal life. Most women war
workers returned to domestic life. Couples got married and started families.
Easier home mortgage loans for veterans allowed many families in Baltimore row
houses or Washington, D.C., apartments to buy houses outside the city. More
families could afford automobiles. Politicians on the local level, in almost
every community, scrambled to build new schools and roads.
A number of factors kept the
Maryland economy robust for many years. First was the work of demobilization—the
return of military personnel to civilian life—and the pent-up demand for
consumer goods—which had been in short supply during the war. Then defense
spending continued during the Cold War, a period of hostility between the United
States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
| E2 | The Civil Rights Movement |
Maryland law established racial
segregation in public accommodations in 1904 (which both whites and blacks often
ignored), but citizens of the state three times rejected referendums that called
for black voters to be disfranchised (denied voting rights). The second oldest
chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP), which was long the country’s most prominent minority rights
organization, was formed in Baltimore in 1913.
After World War II, black
Marylanders were among those making renewed calls for racial justice. Lillie
Carroll Jackson led the active Baltimore chapter of the NAACP. Attorney Thurgood
Marshall, a Baltimorean who led the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund,
helped to mount a concerted legal challenge to racial segregation in schools. In
1954, in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, he
succeeded in getting the Supreme Court of the United States to decide that
separate black schools were inherently unequal. Later, he sat on that same Court
himself as its first black member.
Baltimore had begun to desegregate
its high schools before the Brown decision required it to do so. Yet
school integration did not move swiftly in eastern and southern Maryland, and it
produced resistance among many whites. White emigration to the suburbs of
Washington and Baltimore accelerated.
During the 1960s, Marylanders
generally opened access to schools, public facilities, and housing to all
citizens without regard to color. But uneven success, continuing poverty, and
the growing militancy of the civil rights movement also polarized some
communities. Race riots broke out in Cambridge in 1963 and 1964, and the
National Guard was called in to restore order. In April 1968, after the
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., rioting occurred in parts of
Baltimore. In the short run, the Baltimore riots offered Governor Spiro T. Agnew
an excuse to attack the city’s black leadership. In the long run, the discord
brought moderates of both races together to find ways to expand opportunities in
the private sector of the economy and strengthen institutions that could work
out grievances and foster stability.
| E3 | Late 20th Century Economy |
Maryland grew in population rapidly
in the Cold War years, particularly around Washington and Baltimore, from almost
2 million in 1950 to almost 5 million in 1980. Land in farming dropped from
about two-thirds of total land area in 1950 to far less than one-half thirty
years later. Columbia, the planned (and deliberately integrated) community that
opened between Baltimore and Washington in the mid-1960s, was the work of
developer James W. Rouse, who throughout his career promoted public housing for
the poor and designed unusual, people-oriented shopping centers. Rouse received
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, in 1995
for his contributions to the field of urban planning.
The state’s economy in the 1960s and
1970s gradually began to shift in response to global trends and changing
patterns of transportation. The port of Baltimore faced strong competition from
Newport News, Virginia. The demand for western Maryland’s bituminous coal fell
because it produced more air pollution than other types of coal. Gradually the
state’s economy shifted from heavy to light industry—from shipbuilding and
steelmaking in Baltimore to the “smokeless” high-technology firms that first
congregated along the Interstate 270 corridor in Montgomery County. Jobs in
service industries that offered low wages increased. So did tourism, notably in
Baltimore’s refurbished downtown.
| E4 | Political Trends |
Although the majority of the state’s
voters were registered as Democrats, the state nonetheless put Republicans in
office in the 1960s and 1970s. Maryland politics was broad based. In the late
1970s, the Maryland congressional delegation had a higher proportion of women
than that of any other state, and the legislature had one of the highest ratios
of black and female membership in the nation.
The openness of Maryland politics
helped the state weather the occasional embarrassing scandals. Governor Agnew,
later twice elected vice president under President Richard M. Nixon, pleaded no
contest to corruption charges and resigned in disgrace in October 1973. Four
years later a sitting governor, Marvin Mandel, was sentenced to federal prison
for mail fraud. Following these events, anticorruption measures were passed
under the reform administration of Governor Harry R. Hughes.
In the early 1990s taxation and
government expense were among the major political issues. Marylanders were split
about evenly by geographic region. Liberals and moderates prevailed in three
localities: heavily black, financially strapped Baltimore; Prince George’s
County, containing many federal workers and black suburbanites; and well-to-do
Montgomery County, with its own federal employees. Conservative-to-moderate
voters prevailed in other parts of the state, which are predominantly white,
suspicious of government, and culturally conservative. Democrat Parris
Glendening was elected governor in 1994 on the strength of the Baltimore black
vote and Prince George’s federal worker vote; his Republican opponent carried 19
of the state’s 23 counties. He was reelected in 1998.
| F | The 21st Century |
At the beginning of the 21st century,
Maryland voters were becoming increasingly conservative. In 2002 voters elected
the state’s first Republican governor since 1966 when United States
representative Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., defeated two-term Lieutenant Governor
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. As governor, Ehrlich proposed legalizing slot
machines to help offset the state’s budget shortfall. But the controversial
initiative failed in the state legislature. Voters elected a Democrat, Baltimore
mayor Martin O’Malley, as governor in 2006.
The history section of this article
was contributed by Robert J. Brugger. The remainder of the article was
contributed by James E. DiLisio.
No comments:
Post a Comment