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States Edition
2014
Maryland
The Old Line State
Established 1788
7th State
After escaping from slavery, Harriet Tubman, a native of Maryland, risked death to return to the South 19 times to
help other slaves to freedom!
There are no natural lakes in Maryland. All are man-made.
The Maryland state flag is one of the oldest in the nation.
Loveville, Ladiesburg, and Friendly are names of towns in Maryland.
The National Aquarium is located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
The United States Naval Academy was founded at Annapolis.
Elizabeth Ann Seton, who started the Sisters of Charity in Maryland, was the first United States citizen to be
named a saint by the Catholic Church.
Maryland claims the first umbrella factory and the first dental school in the United States.
Annapolis is known as a “museum without walls” because of its large collection of colonial architecture.
The Methodist Church of America was officially organized in Maryland.
Some say Babe Ruth, a Marylander, could predict his home runs. Once, after two strikes, he pointed to centerfield
and then hit a homer right where he pointed.
The Baltimore Basilica was the first Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States.
Climate
If you were to visit Maryland in July, you could find the day hot and humid or warm and
dry, depending on where you were. The east is much hotter than the west, mainly
because humidity can reach 100 percent. That much humidity in 90°F (32°C) weather
can make you feel like you are in a steam room! In winter, the western region can get
much colder than the east. While it rarely snows along the coast, the west frequently
sees snowstorms and below-freezing weather.
Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures
Spring: 65/44°F
Summer: 86/66°F
Fall: 68/49°F
Winter: 45/28°F
Geography
For being such a small state, the ninth smallest, Maryland has a diverse landscape.
The land ranges from swampy flatlands in the east to forested mountains and steep
valleys in the west. The Chesapeake Bay dominates the state. The Chesapeake is an
estuary, a place where freshwater meets saltwater. Many birds of all kinds make their
home along the bay and in the swamps. Three main regions cover Maryland. The
Atlantic Coastal Plain, which includes the eastern and southern parts of the state, has
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sandy soils along the coast and swamps inland. Farther west and north lies the
Piedmont. This area has rolling hills and fertile soils, where most of the farming is done.
The westernmost area is the Appalachian region. The highest mountains in the state
can be found there, as well as most of the forests.
Resources and Economy
Most Marylanders used to be involved in farming. Today, farms provide only a small
part of the state’s income. Chicken and corn are the main farm products. Many
Marylanders are employed in service jobs, such as working for the government. Many
who work in Washington, D.C., live in Maryland, and several federal agencies are
centered in the state. Manufacturing food products and chemicals is another source of
income. Drinks, baked goods, and sweets are some of the goods made in Maryland.
Stone, sand, and gravel are used to make cement and concrete for buildings and
roads. Coal is also mined and used to generate electricity. Marylanders take advantage
of the miles of coastline for gathering crabs, oysters, and other seafood.
Time Line
AD 1500
AD 1524
Giovanni da Verrazano explores the coast
1608
Captain John Smith explores the Chesapeake Bay
1632
King Charles I grants Maryland’s colonial charter to Cecil Calvert
1634
Settlers reach Maryland and build Saint Mary’s City
1649
Maryland passes the Toleration Act guaranteeing religious freedom to
all Christians
1694
Annapolis is named Maryland’s capital
1700
1729
Baltimore is established
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1769
The Mason-Dixon Line is created, separating Maryland and
Pennsylvania
1774
The Peggy Stewart is burned
1776
The Maryland Convention adopts the independence resolution
1781
Maryland signs the Articles of Confederation
1784
The Treaty of Paris is signed in Annapolis
1788
Maryland signs the United States Constitution
1789
Maryland Society for the Abolition of Slavery is founded
1791
Maryland donates land for the new U.S. capital at Washington, D.C.
1800
1814
The Battle of Baltimore is an American victory in the War of 1812;
inspired by watching American forces fight at the battle, Francis Scott
Key writes “The Star-Spangled Banner”
1821
The Baltimore Roman Catholic Basilica is built
1828
The C&O Canal and B&O Railroad are begun
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1862
The Battle of Antietam is fought, with 23,000 casualties on one day
1864
Maryland law ends slavery in the state
1865
Maryland actor, John Wilkes Booth, assassinates Abraham Lincoln
1870
African American men get the vote in Maryland and across the nation
1876
Johns Hopkins University opens in Baltimore
1900
1904
Downtown Baltimore is destroyed by fire
1920
Women vote for the first time in Maryland
1938
Maryland adopts the first state income tax in the United States
1950
Friendship Airport, now Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall
Airport, opens
1952
Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens
1954
Maryland begins to desegregate (stop the separation of races) its
schools
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1967
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American Supreme Court
justice
1978
President Carter oversees the signing of the Camp David Accords
between Egypt and Israel
1980s
Maryland and other states join forces to begin the effort to clean up
and protect Chesapeake Bay
2000
2000
Maryland and surrounding states sign the Chesapeake Bay
Agreement, setting regional standards for bay restoration
2002
Two snipers shoot and kill 13 people in Maryland, Virginia, and the
District of Columbia before being arrested by Maryland police
2007
Maryland passes the Healthy Air Act to help lessen air pollution
2008
Women hold the four top offices in Baltimore: Mayor, President of the
City Council, State’s Attorney, and Comptroller
2013
Maryland outlaws the death penalty
PRESENT
Early Inhabitants
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The Native Americans in what is now Maryland used to live in homes called wigwams
(huts made of animal hides stretched over an arched framework of poles). They raised
corn, peas, squash, and tobacco. They also hunted and gathered berries and oysters.
Most of the people spoke Algonquian or a variation of it. When Europeans began to
settle the area, the natives moved out of the land to avoid conflict. They left behind
pottery and burial sites. Many place-names from their language are still used today,
such as Chesapeake, Potomac, Choptank, and Piscataway.
The Mason-Dixon Line
Sir George Calvert, known as Lord Baltimore, was Catholic in a mainly Protestant
England. He asked King Charles I for land in the new colonies, where all Christians
could be free to worship as they chose. The king went along with this plan, but Lord
Baltimore died before the final arrangements could be made. His son Cecilius Calvert
organized settlers and sent his brother to be the governor of the new area. When the
new settlers arrived in 1632, they bought a village from the Native Americans living
there and named the place Saint Mary’s City. In the 1670s, a disagreement arose
between the settlers of Maryland and Pennsylvania about where the border between
their two regions was supposed to be. To resolve the dispute, the British government
sent surveyors to establish what became known as the Mason-Dixon Line. This
boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland would also become the dividing line
between free states and slave states, between North and South.
The Old Line State
Like other colonists, Marylanders grew unhappy with British rule. The colonists’
frustration with British taxes led them to burn a ship full of tea called the Peggy Stewart.
When war broke out, Maryland supplied many soldiers. George Washington called
them “troops of the line” for their bravery in defending American lines of battle, which is
where the state’s nickname, the Old Line State, came from. The Treaty of Paris, signed
in Annapolis, formally ended the Revolutionary War. Maryland gave land and money to
begin building Washington, D.C. Only a few decades later, the young United States
again went to war with England in the War of 1812. England first attacked the new
capital and then Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The British planned to bombard the fort and
then proceed into the city. A Marylander by the name of Francis Scott Key was on
board a ship in the harbor when the bombardment took place. The firing lasted all night.
When the sun came up, Key could see that the American flag was still flying above the
fort. He knew that Baltimore’s troops had held off the British. He wrote a poem in
celebration of the American victory. Soon afterwards, the words were set to music. “The
Star-Spangled Banner.” became our national anthem in 1931.
Civil War: Tied to Two Sides
Tobacco became a valuable crop in Maryland, as it was in other Southern states, and
most of it was farmed by slave labor. However, the state also had more free blacks than
any other state and economic ties to the North. When the Civil War broke out, Maryland
was drawn to both sides. Although soldiers volunteered for each side, the state never
seceded (withdrew) from the nation. The war’s bloodiest day was in Maryland at the
Battle of Antietam, where both sides suffered heavy losses. Around 23,000 soldiers
were killed or wounded in a single day. Maryland ended slavery within its own borders
by writing a new state constitution in 1867. This declared that all people in the state
were free.
Reform in Maryland
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Marylanders have often worked to protect the health and welfare of ordinary citizens.
For example, in 1894, Maryland enacted laws to protect children from being exploited
as factory workers. The state also passed laws early on regulating food safety,
strengthening the education system, and improving public health. After World War II,
many Marylanders joined the fight for civil rights. Groups like the NAACP (National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People) were and still are active. In recent
years, Maryland has been working to clean up the water and air. The state has passed
laws to improve the sewer systems and laws requiring that cars and trucks be
inspected. Companies in Maryland have begun to develop new, clean sources of
power, such as solar power. The largest integrated solar manufacturing plant in the
country is located in Frederick, Maryland.
Population
More people live in Maryland’s cities than the countryside. In fact, less than 14 percent of the population lives in rural
(countryside) areas. Baltimore is Maryland’s most populated city. It is part of a megalopolis stretching from the
Washington, D.C. area to Boston, Massachusetts. A megalopolis is a densely populated area that usually includes
more than one city. Annapolis is the capital and one of the oldest cities in the state.
Government
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Capital: Annapolis
State Abbreviation: MD
Governor: Martin O’Malley (Democrat)
U.S. Senators: 2
Barbara Mikulski (Democrat)
Ben Cardin (Democrat)
U.S. Representatives: 8
Democrats: 7
Republicans: 1
State Senators: 47
State Representatives: 141
Counties: 23 (plus Baltimore City)
The governor in Maryland has the power to appoint many officials, from county to
state offices.
Legislators (lawmakers) meet in January for 90 days to pass all legislation,
although in certain situations the governor can call special sessions.
Famous People
Tori Amos
Tori Amos — Musician
Rachel Carson — Environmentalist and author
Tom Clancy — Novelist
Dominique Dawes — Olympic gymnast
Frederick Douglass — Freed slave and human-rights leader
Philip Glass — Composer
Ira Glass — Radio host and producer
Billie Holiday — Jazz and blues singer
Spike Jonze — Director
Cal Ripken Jr. — Baseball player
Francis Scott Key — Author of the national anthem
Thurgood Marshall — First African American Supreme Court justice
Babe Ruth — Baseball player
Upton Sinclair — Author of The Jungle
Harriet Tubman — Abolitionist
Frederick Douglass
Billie Holiday
Babe Ruth
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Native America
The two major tribes that lived in what is now Maryland before European visitors arrived
were the Nanticoke and the Susquehannock. The Nanticoke lived along the riverbeds
and waters of what is now the Chesapeake Bay, while the Susquehannock covered a
wider area from the mouth of the Susquehanna River across Delaware and
Pennsylvania, up to New York. Both tribes farmed in fields near their villages and fished
the Chesapeake Bay in the summer.
The Susquehannock were a warlike people who dominated the more peaceful
Nanticoke. They traded fur with the early Dutch, French, Swedish, and English traders
in exchange for guns and ammunition. Enemies of the Iroquois, the Susquehannock
allied themselves with the Huron to resist a series of native and European invasions. In
1667, a smallpox epidemic spread through the Susquehannock, killing off most of the
tribe. Eventually the Susquehannock surrendered to the Iroquois. The last few
members were killed by a mob of white settlers in 1763.
Today, there are only a few Native Americans in the state. There are active groups of
Piscataways in southern Maryland. Nanticokes live in nearby Delaware. You can attend
powwows and other events to learn more about their life and history. Many place
names from Indian languages are still used today, such as Chesapeake, Potomac,
Choptank, and Patuxent.
The Poe Toaster
Mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore in 1849. The exact cause of his death
remains unknown. However, for over seven decades, a mysterious stranger visited
Poe’s grave on 19 January (Poe’s birthday). The visitor, known as the “Poe Toaster”
honored the dead writer in the same way each year, by placing three roses on the
grave and toasting him with a glass of cognac. Always cloaked in black, no one was
able to determine the identity of the toaster, and for years the members of the Edgar
Allan Poe Society in Baltimore camped outside the cemetery to make sure the toaster
was not disturbed. In 1993, a note was left on the grave indicating that the original
toaster had died and a new one was taking over the tradition. The visitor did not appear
for the first time in 2010 and has not been seen since. But people from around the
world continue to come to the Baltimore graveyard to celebrate Poe’s legacy.
Racial Equality Fighters
Many notable Marylanders contributed to the struggle for racial equality. Harriet
Tubman, a former slave herself, helped other slaves find their freedom through the
Underground Railroad, a network of people who helped runaway slaves escape to the
North or Canada. She guided 13 expeditions to free Maryland slaves and was never
captured. Those she helped to freedom called her by the code name “Moses.” During
the Civil War, Tubman worked as a spy for the North and was the first American woman
to lead a military operation.
Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimorean and a descendant of slaves, argued and won a
landmark case called Brown v. Board of Education, which said schools must
desegregate (have a mix of races among the students). When applying to the law
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school at the University of Maryland, Marshall was told he would not be accepted
because of his race. He later sued the school for their policy of segregation and went
on to become the first African American Supreme Court justice.
State Symbols
State Bird
Baltimore oriole—This bird is yellow and black, which are the same colors found on the
state flag.
State Tree
White oak—One of the largest white oaks in the world was the Wye Oak, on the
Eastern Shore, but it was blown over by a severe thunderstorm in 2002.
State Flower
Black-eyed Susan—In the forests and fields, this flower grows wild.
State Crustacean
Maryland blue crab—Marylanders have many ways to prepare this delicious crab,
commonly found along the shores.
Other Symbols
Cat: Calico cat
Folk Dance: Square dance
Dinosaur: Astrodon johnstoni
Dog: Chesapeake Bay retriever
Drink: Milk
Fish: Rockfish, or striped bass
Exercise: Walking
Insect: Baltimore checkerspot butterfly
Reptile: Diamondback terrapin
Song: “Maryland, My Maryland”
Sport: Jousting
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State Motto
Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine—This motto is Italian for “Strong Deeds, Gentle Words.”
Pro Sports Teams
• Baltimore Orioles (MLB)
• Baltimore Ravens (NFL)
For More Information
See www.maryland.gov or contact the Maryland Division of Tourism Development, 401 East Pratt Street, 14th Floor,
Baltimore, MD 21202; phone (866) 639-3526; web site www.visitmaryland.org.
© 2014 ProQuest LLC and Brigham Young University. It is against the law to
copy, reprint, store, or transmit any part of this publication in any form by any
means without strict written permission from ProQuest.
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