Maryland
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State flag
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MARYLAND,
one of the South Atlantic states of the U.S., bordered on
the N by Pennsylvania, on the E by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean,
on the S by Virginia, and on the SW and W by West Virginia. The
District of Columbia, site of the U.S. capital, is an enclave in
the W part of the state. The Potomac R. forms most of Maryland’s
W boundary, and Chesapeake Bay deeply indents the E section of the state.
Maryland entered the Union on April 28, 1788, as the seventh
of the 13 original states. The economy of the state, known for the
production of tobacco in colonial times, became dominated by manufacturing
in the late 19th century and depends primarily on the service and
government sectors today. Baltimore, Maryland’s largest
city, is a major seaport, and the SE region of the state produces
large quantities of broiler chickens. The state is named for Henrietta
Maria, the wife of Charles I of England. Maryland is called the
Old Line State and the Free State.
| MARYLAND STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
April 28, 1788; 7th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Annapolis |
| MOTTO: |
Fatti maschii, parole femine (Manly deeds, womanly words) |
| NICKNAMES: |
Old Line State; Free State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Maryland,
My Maryland” (words by James R. Randall, sung to the tune
of “O, Tannenbaum”) |
| STATE TREE: |
White oak |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Black-eyed
Susan |
| STATE BIRD: |
Baltimore
oriole |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
5,296,486; 19th among the states |
| AREA: |
32,135 sq km (12,407 sq mi); 42d largest state;
includes 6819 sq km (2633 sq mi) of inland water |
| COASTLINE: |
50 km (31 mi) |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Backbone Mt., 1024 m (3360 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
Sea level, along the coast |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
10 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 8 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Martin O’Malley (Dem.)
Took office January 2007 |
Maryland, with an area of 32,135 sq km (12,407 sq mi), is
the 42d largest state of the U.S.; 3.1% of the land area
is owned by the federal government. Maryland has an irregular shape,
and its extreme dimensions are about 320 km (about 200 mi) from
E to W and about 200 km (about 125 mi) from N to S. Elevations range from
sea level, in various places, to 1024 m (3360 ft), atop Backbone
Mt., in the NW. The approximate mean elevation is 107 m (350 ft).
Maryland’s coastline along the Atlantic Ocean is only 50
km (31 mi) long, but the state’s tidal shoreline, which
includes Chesapeake Bay and its many arms, has a length of 5134
km (3190 mi). The Atlantic coast is formed here by a narrow barrier
island, which in part sets off Chincoteague, Assawoman, and Isle
of Wight bays.
Maryland can be divided into five major geographical regions, all
of which extend into neighboring states. About one-half of Maryland
is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which is divided into two
sections in the state by Chesapeake Bay: The Eastern Shore, part
of the Delmarva Peninsula, is a flat plain nowhere more than 30
m (100 ft) high; the Western Shore is more rolling, with summits
as much as 61 m (200 ft) above sea level. The soil of the Coastal
Plain has much sand, clay, and silt and is relatively low in fertility.
Chesapeake Bay contains many islands. Roughly one-fourth of Maryland
is part of the Piedmont Plateau region. The E two-thirds of this
region, underlain by igneous and metamorphic rock, is an area of
rolling hills rising to about 365 m (about 1200 ft) at Dug Hill
Ridge in the N; soils are more fertile than those in the Coastal
Plain. The W third of the Piedmont Plateau, underlain by limestone
and sandstone, is much flatter.
The Blue Ridge region is underlain by quartzite and metamorphosed
volcanic rock. Most of the area is situated at least 305 m (1000
ft) above sea level. Catoctin Mt. is a major component of the Blue
Ridge in Maryland. The Valley and Ridge Region is an area of folded
sedimentary rock, in which valleys underlain by limestone and shale
are separated by narrow, sharp-crested ridges attaining heights
of up to about 610 m (about 2000 ft). The state’s fifth
region, the Allegheny Mts., in the NW, also is an area of folded
sedimentary rock. It is about 610 to 1024 m (about 2000 to 3360
ft) high and has broader, more rounded ridges and wider valleys
than the Valley and Ridge Region. Both regions have shallow soils
that are relatively infertile except where they have developed on
limestone.
Maryland has two large rivers. The Potomac R. forms most of
the W boundary of the state, and its tributaries drain the W half
of Maryland except for a small area of the NW, which is drained
toward the Ohio R. The other major river, the Susquehanna, enters
Maryland from Pennsylvania and flows into Chesapeake Bay after a
short course. Most of the E half of the state is drained toward
Chesapeake Bay, which is Maryland’s biggest body of water,
with an area in the state of some 4470 sq km (some 1725 sq mi).
Rivers on the Eastern Shore include the Chester, Choptank, Nanticoke,
and Pocomoke, and rivers of the Western Shore include the Gunpowder,
Patapsco, and Patuxent. Maryland has no large natural lakes; its
artificial lakes are relatively small, the biggest being Deep Creek
Lake, in the NW.
Except for the Allegheny Mts. region, Maryland has a humid
subtropical climate. Average monthly temperatures in winter generally
are above freezing, and snow remains on the ground usually for only
a few days. Minimum daily temperatures do fall below freezing, however,
typically more than 80 times a year. Summer temperatures average
about 24° C (about 75° F), with maximum daily readings
above 32° C (90° F) on 20 to 40 days a year. Baltimore
has an average January temperature of about 0.8° C (about
33.5° F) and an average July temperature of about 24.7° C
(about 76.5° F). The normal annual precipitation is about
1016 mm (about 40 in), distributed evenly throughout the year.
The Allegheny Mts. region in the NW has a humid temperate
climate, which differs from that of the rest of the state in that
average monthly temperatures in winter are below freezing, average
annual snowfall is more than 1520 mm (more than 60 in), snow stays
on the ground for long periods, and average monthly temperatures
in summer typically are less than 20° C (68° F).
The recorded temperature in Maryland has ranged from a low of –40° C
(–40° F), in 1912 at Oakland in the NW, to a high
of 42.8° C (109° F), in 1898 at Boetcherville
and in 1936 at Cumberland and Frederick.
| MARYLAND AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Baltimore |
| Average January temperature range |
–3.9° to 5.6° C |
25° to 42° F |
| Average July temperature range |
19.4° to 30.6° C |
67° to 87° F |
| Average annual temperature |
12.8° C |
55° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
1016 mm |
40 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
559 mm |
22 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
113 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
66% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
106 |
Forests cover some 40% of Maryland, with oak and pine
forests prevailing on the Atlantic Coastal Plain; beech, tulip tree,
maple, and basswood forests dominating in the Allegheny Mts.; and
oak and tulip tree forests being most common elsewhere. Widespread
tree species include red, white, chestnut, and willow oak; Virginia,
loblolly, and pitch pine; hickory; ash; walnut; tulip tree; sweetgum;
and red maple. Among the numerous wild flowers are columbine, Indian
pipe, black-eyed Susan, fringed milkwort, violet, turtlehead, azalea,
and rhododendron.
White-tailed deer, red and gray fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum,
cottontail rabbit, groundhog, gray squirrel, and muskrat are found
throughout the state. The Chesapeake Bay region is a major wintering
area for waterfowl. The dominant fish of the bay is the striped
bass; large numbers of oysters, blue crabs, clams, alewives, menhaden,
bluefish, Norfolk spot, and perch also live in its waters.
The principal mineral resources of Maryland are construction materials
and coal. Sand and gravel deposits are most extensive on the Western
Shore but also occur on the Eastern Shore and along river valleys
outside the Atlantic Coastal Plain region. Limestone, serpentine,
granite, gneiss, gabbro, quartzite, sandstone, and slate, found
both on the Piedmont Plateau and in the Valley and Ridge Region,
are used as crushed stone and building stone. Important coal beds
are located in the Allegheny Mts., and the state also has deposits
of clay, natural gas, and talc.
According to the 2000 census, Maryland had 5,296,486 inhabitants,
an increase of 10.8% over 1990. The average population
density in 2000 was 541.9 persons per sq mi of land area; considerably
higher population concentrations were in the central part of the
state. Whites made up 64.0% of the population and blacks 27.9%;
additional population groups included 15,423 American Indians, 210,929
Asians, and 2303 Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. (These
figures do not include the 2.0% of the population who reported more
than one race.) A total of 227,916 Maryland residents, or about
4.3% of the population, claimed Hispanic ancestry. The
state’s largest cities were Baltimore, one of the largest
cities in the U.S.; Frederick; Gaithersburg; Bowie; and Rockville.
Annapolis is the state capital.
According to a 2000 survey, Maryland’s largest single religious group consisted of Roman Catholics (18% of the total population); leading Protestant denominations included the United Methodist Church (5.6%), Southern Baptist Convention (2.7%), and Evangelical Lutheran Church (2%). Jews comprised an estimated 4.1% of the population, and Muslims 1%.
In 2000 about 86% of all Marylanders lived in areas defined as urban, under the current, broadened government definition.
| POPULATION OF MARYLAND SINCE 1790 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1790 |
320,000 |
4% |
| 1820 |
407,000 |
16% |
| 1850 |
583,000 |
32% |
| 1880 |
935,000 |
40% |
| 1900 |
1,188,000 |
50% |
| 1920 |
1,450,000 |
60% |
| 1940 |
1,821,000 |
59% |
| 1960 |
3,101,000 |
73% |
| 1980 |
4,217,000 |
80% |
| 1990 |
4,781,468 |
81% |
| 2000 |
5,296,486 |
86% |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN MARYLAND |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Baltimore |
651,154 |
736,014 |
| Frederick |
52,767 |
40,148 |
| Gaithersburg |
52,613 |
39,542 |
| Bowie |
50,269 |
37,589 |
| Rockville |
47,388 |
44,835 |
| Hagerstown |
36,687 |
35,445 |
| Annapolis |
35,838 |
33,187 |
| College
Park |
24,657 |
21,927 |
| Salisbury |
23,743 |
20,592 |
| Cumberland |
21,518 |
23,706 |
Maryland has a number of well-known educational and cultural
institutions and is noted as a center for horse racing and the game
of lacrosse.
The first free school in Maryland, King William’s
School, was established in Annapolis in 1696, and a statewide system
of public schools was set up in 1826. In the early 2000s Maryland had a total annual enrollment of over 600,000 public elementary school pupils (pre-K through 8) pupils and over 200,000 public secondary students. Around 100,000 attended private schools.
In the same period, Maryland’s institutions of higher learning had a yearly enrollment of about 300,000. Among the colleges and universities are those of the University System of Maryland (1807; reorganized, 1988), including the five former campuses of the University of Maryland as well as six other Maryland institutions; Johns Hopkins University (1876), Morgan State University (1867), and Loyola College (1852), all located in Baltimore; the U.S. Naval Academy (1845) and Saint John’s College (founded as King William’s School, 1696), in Annapolis; Goucher College (1885), in Towson;
Hood College (1893), in Frederick; and Washington College (1782),
in Chestertown. The Maryland Institute College of Art (1826) and the
Peabody Conservatory of Music (1857, part of Johns Hopkins University)
are in Baltimore.
Baltimore is Maryland’s principal cultural center.
In the city are some of the state’s leading museums, such
as the Peale Museum (1814), with historical exhibits relating to the
area; the Baltimore Museum of Art (1914), with collections of European
and American art; the Walters Art Gallery (1934), with diverse exhibits
of art from antiquity to the 19th century; the Baltimore Maritime Museum
(1982); the Maryland Science Center of the Maryland Academy of Sciences
(1797); and the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame (1959).
Other museums in the state include the U.S. Naval Academy Museum
(1845), in Annapolis; the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (1965),
in Saint Michaels; and the Fire Museum of Maryland (1971), in Lutherville,
with exhibits of fire-fighting equipment.
One of the largest libraries in Maryland is the Enoch Pratt
Free Library in Baltimore, dating from 1882. Other major libraries
include the Maryland Historical Society Library, in Baltimore; the
Maryland State Library, in Annapolis; and several libraries attached
to institutions of higher education. Performing-arts organizations
include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company,
and the Center Stage Theater of Baltimore.
Maryland is noted for its many historical landmarks and old
houses. The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum (1927)
and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore,
contain exhibits associated with the origin of the American flag
and the national anthem. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
(partly in Virginia and West Virginia) was the scene of the raid in
1859 by the abolitionist John Brown. Antietam and Monocacy national
battlefields, both near Sharpsburg, were the sites of important
battles of the American Civil War. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National
Historical Park follows the route along the Potomac R. of the canal
(built 1828–50). Notable 18th-century houses are included
in Thomas Stone National Historic Site, near Port Tobacco, and Hampton
National Historic Site, in Towson. Clara Barton National Historic
Site, in Glen Echo, encompasses the home of the founder of the American
Red Cross.
Maryland’s parks, rivers, mountainous areas, and
shoreline, which includes Chesapeake Bay with its many quiet harbors
and water resorts, offer varied opportunities for a broad range
of outdoor activities such as 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 race;
Bowie Race Course, in Bowie; and Laurel Race Course, in Laurel.
The Capital Centre, in Landover, is an indoor sports and entertainment
arena. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the home of the Baltimore
Orioles, a major league baseball team. The Baltimore Ravens are
Maryland’s professional football team.
The state’s first radio stations, WCAO and WFBR in Baltimore, began broadcasting
in 1922, and the first television station, WMAR-TV in Baltimore,
began operations in 1947. The state’s first newspaper was
the weekly Maryland Gazette, issued in Annapolis
from 1727 to 1734. In the early 2000s Maryland had 13 daily newspapers
with a combined daily circulation of about 550,000. Influential
dailies included the Capital, published in Annapolis;
and the Baltimore Sun and the Afro-American, published
in Baltimore. H. L. Mencken was a noted figure in Baltimore journalism
in the first half of the 20th century.
In 2003 an estimated 66% of Maryland households had computers and 59% had Internet access.
Maryland is governed under a constitution adopted in 1867,
as amended. Previous constitutions had been adopted in 1776, 1851,
and 1864. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by the
state legislature or by a constitutional convention; to become effective,
the amendment must be approved by a majority of persons voting on
the issue in a general election.
Maryland’s chief executive official, the governor,
is popularly elected to a 4-year term and may not serve more than
two consecutive terms. In case of death, removal from office, or incapacity
to govern, the governor is succeeded by the lieutenant governor,
who is also elected to a 4-year term. Two other executive officials
popularly elected to 4-year terms are the comptroller and attorney general. The secretary of state is appointed by the governor, and the state treasurer is elected by the legislature.
Maryland’s legislature, the General Assembly, consists
of a 141-member house of delegates and a 47-member senate. All legislators
are elected to 4-year terms. The presiding officers of the two chambers
are the president of the senate and the speaker of the house.
Maryland’s court of last resort is the court of appeals,
made up of a chief judge and six other justices. The state’s
intermediate appellate court is called the court of special appeals
and is composed of a chief judge and 12 additional justices. The
judges of both courts are initially appointed by the governor with
the consent of the senate and must be confirmed in office by voters
within two years of appointment. The judges serve 10-year terms.
The major trial courts of Maryland are the circuit courts of the counties
and of the city of Baltimore. Those courts include a total of 146
judges, who serve 15-year terms. Lesser cases are heard by judges in district courts.
Maryland is divided into 23 counties, most of which are governed
by commissioners elected to 4-year terms. Several have an elected
county executive. The city of Baltimore is not part of any county
and is governed by a mayor and a council. In the early 2000s, Maryland had a total of 157 municipalities and 85 special districts.
Maryland elects two senators and eight representatives to the
U.S. Congress. The state has ten electoral votes in presidential
elections.
In the early 2000s, the Democratic party claimed nearly 55% of registered voters in Maryland, followed by the Republicans with almost 30%; independents made up most of the remainder. As of 2007, most of the state’s congressional delegation was Democratic, and the party also controlled both houses of the state legislature and the state governorship. Democrats have held the edge in presidential elections since 1960.
From 1960 through 2000 only one Republican was elected
governor, Spiro T. Agnew in 1966; he did not finish the term. Agnew was
elected vice-president of the U.S. in 1968 and reelected in 1972; he
resigned the office in 1973 while under investigation for bribery and
tax fraud. Republicans staged a comeback in the 2002 gubernatorial
election, as Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. (1957– ) upset his Democratic
opponent, Lieut. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (1951– ), the eldest
child of Robert F. Kennedy. Ehrlich was defeated in November 2006 by Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (1963– ).
In colonial times Maryland was known for the production of
tobacco, and it also had important fishing, lumbering, and shipbuilding
industries. Manufacturing became the principal economic activity
in the state in the late 19th century. In the early 1990s the Baltimore
area was the state’s leading economic center. Many Marylanders
are employed by the federal government in neighboring Washington,
D.C., and some U.S. agencies, including the Bureau of the Census,
are located in the state.
| MARYLAND STATE ECONOMY |
| STATE BUDGET (in thousands) |
| General revenue |
$28,395,564 |
| General expenditure |
$25,343,680 |
| Accumulated debt |
$13,600,741 |
 |
| STATE TAXES PER CAPITA |
$2,214 |
|
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$41,760 |
|
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
8.2% |
|
| EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION |
| Management, business, finance |
500,000 |
| Professional and related |
691,000 |
| Services |
419,000 |
| Sales and related |
287,000 |
| Office and administrative support |
389,000 |
| Farming, fishing, forestry |
too small for statistical reliability |
| Construction and extraction |
158,000 |
| Installation, maintenance, repair |
79,00 |
| Production |
105,000 |
| Transportation and moving |
127,000 |
|
| GROSS STATE PRODUCT |
$244.9 billion |
|
| NET FARM INCOME |
$327 million |
| Principal products |
broilers, greenhouse products, dairy products |
A relatively unimportant agricultural state by national standards, Maryland
annually produces farm commodities valued at about $1.5 billion, amounting to less than 1% of the annual gross state product. In the early 2000s Maryland had some 12,000 farms, averaging less than 70 ha (around 170 acres) in size. Approximately 58% of the state’s
yearly farm income is derived from the sale of livestock and livestock products;
the remaining farm income is from sales of crops. The leading products
are broiler chickens, dairy goods, corn, and soybeans. Broiler production
is highest in Wicomico Co. on the Eastern Shore, and Frederick Co.
typically leads in dairy products. Other important agricultural
commodities produced in the state include hay, tobacco, wheat, barley,
potatoes and other vegetables, nursery and greenhouse products,
apples, cattle and calves, hogs, and chicken eggs.
About 90% of Maryland’s forests are classified
as commercial timberland, and about 90% of that is privately
owned. Hardwoods, including oak and yellow poplar, and loblolly
pine, a softwood, account for the bulk of the harvest. Pulpwood is used
by a large paper mill near the town of Luke.
Maryland’s lengthy tidal shoreline has given rise
to a small but significant fishing industry. The value of the yearly
catch is about $52 million. Chesapeake Bay is the leading
fishing ground. Crabs account for more than 40% of the
total value produced, followed by clams and oysters. Striped bass,
sea trout, bluefish, alewives, menhaden, and flounder also are landed
in commercial quantities.
Maryland has a comparatively small mining sector; the annual
value of its nonfuel mineral output is about $500 million. Sand,
gravel, and stone are produced in many parts of Maryland for construction
and other industrial purposes. Bituminous coal deposits are found
in Garrett and Allegany counties in the NW. Production is mainly from surface mines. Other mineral products include natural gas, clay, talc, and peat.
In 2003 manufacturing in Maryland accounted for about 7% of the annual gross state product and employed some 140,0000 workers. Leading products are precision instruments, printed materials, processed foods, transport equipment, industrial equipment, primary metals,
and chemicals. Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties and the city
of Baltimore lead the state in the number of manufacturing employees.
Sparrows Point, near Baltimore, is the site of a big steel mill.
Other important Maryland manufactures include paper and paper products,
fabricated metal products, and goods made of rubber and plastics.
Millions of tourists visit Maryland each year, contributing close to $10 billion to the state economy. The state’s natural attractions range from the Atlantic shore to the Allegheny Mts.
Ocean City and Assateague Island National Seashore are famous resort
and vacation spots on the coast, and Deep Creek Lake attracts visitors
to the Allegheny Mts. region. Other popular areas include Catoctin Mountain
Park, Greenbelt Park, and Piscataway Park. In addition, Maryland
has a number of historical sites and serves as a gateway to Washington,
D.C. The state maintains numerous parks and recreation areas.
Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., area are the main transportation hubs in Maryland. The state has about 50,000 km (about 30,000 mi) of highways, including about 770 km (480 mi) of interstate. Baltimore is one of the leading seaports of the U.S., ranking 16th (as of 2004) by tonnage handled. The busiest air terminal is the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
In 2003 Maryland had an installed electricity generating capacity of about 12.5 million kw, and production totaled 52 billion kwh. Over 66 of the state’s electricity is generated from fossil fuels, 26% from nuclear power, and 5% from hydroelectric sources.
Algonquian-speaking Nanticoke and Piscataway and Iroquois-speaking Susquehannock Indians were living in the area when the first Europeans arrived. The territory now comprising the states of Maryland and Delaware was granted to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, by Charles I,
king of England, in 1632. Lord Baltimore, who named the territory
in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen consort of Charles I, died before
issuance of the royal charter, which later in 1632 was granted to
his son Cecilius Calvert, 2d Baron Baltimore. Lord Baltimore, a
Roman Catholic, had planned to found a colony in which coreligionists
might be free of persecution. Religious tolerance was a central
feature of his project.
Cecilius Calvert organized an expedition
that sailed from Gravesend in November 1633 under the command of
Leonard Calvert (1606?–47), his brother. Of some 200 colonists
who arrived in the territory in March 1634, however, it is probable
that more than half were Protestants. A settlement called Saint
Mary’s was founded on the peninsula later that year. On
Jan. 26, 1635, the first assembly of freemen of the province met
at St. Mary’s. The right of initiating laws was conceded
to the people in 1638, but Lord Baltimore retained the power of
veto. The first statutes of the province were passed in 1638.
Relations were friendly with the Indians, but a quarrel was
shortly provoked among the settlers by William Claiborne, a Virginian,
who had established a trading post on Kent Island, in Chesapeake
Bay, in 1631. Claiborne’s refusal to recognize the authority
of Lord Baltimore precipitated a protracted and often violent feud,
and in 1638 his settlement was seized. In 1643 a company of Puritans,
excluded from Virginia for religious nonconformity, founded a settlement
called Providence on the site of present-day Annapolis. In the wake
of the English Revolution, also called the Puritan Revolution, which had begun in 1642, increasing numbers of Puritans arrived in the colony. A parliamentary force occupied
St. Mary’s in 1645, and Claiborne regained possession of
Kent Island. Nearly two years elapsed before Gov. Calvert, who had
taken refuge in Virginia, reestablished his authority in Maryland.
In an attempt to conciliate the Puritans, Lord Baltimore consented,
in 1650, to the formation of Anne Arundel Co., comprising the Puritan
settlements in the colony. Shortly afterward Charles Co. was also
organized for the benefit of the Puritans. The influx of Puritans continued,
and within a brief period they became the dominant force in the
colonial assembly. In 1652 representatives of England, including
Claiborne and the leader of Anne Arundel Co., assumed formal control of
the colony. Kent Island was officially returned to Claiborne, and
penal laws were enacted against Roman Catholics. The ensuing civil
warfare culminated in an abortive attack on Providence in March
1655 by Baltimore’s supporters. Lord Baltimore’s
title to the colony was recognized in 1657 by Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector
of England, and the proprietary government was restored in the following
year.
Charles Calvert, 3d Baron Baltimore, son of Cecilius, became
lord proprietor of the colony in 1675. The third Lord Baltimore
provoked considerable unrest in Maryland because of his undemocratic
and pro–Roman Catholic policies. During most of his proprietorship
he was involved in a bitter boundary dispute with William Penn,
founder of Pennsylvania. The dispute, which was settled in Penn’s
favor in 1685, concerned the territory now comprising Delaware.
Following the Glorious Revolution (the English Revolution of 1688)
and the deposition of King James II, Protestants seized power in
Maryland in the name of William III and Mary II, the new English
monarchs. The colonial legislature submitted a list of complaints
against Lord Baltimore’s government to the new government
in London, and in August 1691 the lord proprietor was deprived of
his political privileges.
In 1715, after an interlude of royal rule,
proprietary government was reinstituted in the colony under Charles
Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore (1699–1751), a Protestant.
Under the new regime all sects were tolerated except the Roman Catholics,
who were denied the franchise and forbidden to worship in public.
A prolonged dispute with Pennsylvania regarding the northern boundary
of the colony was finally adjudicated between 1763 and 1767 by the
British surveyors Charles Mason (1730–87) and Jeremiah
Dixon (1733–79). Known subsequently as the Mason-Dixon Line,
the Maryland-Pennsylvania frontier that they delineated coincided
with lat 39°43' N.
Maryland emerged as a center of resistance to British policy
in the period preceding the outbreak of the American Revolution.
In 1774, following the imposition of the royal tax on tea, Maryland
patriots burned a tea ship. A popular convention was organized in
the same year to direct the revolutionary movement. In November
1776, the convention adopted a constitution, formally supplanting
the proprietary government. In the early years of national independence, Baltimore (1776–77) and Annapolis (1783-84) served as temporary capitals of the U.S.
During the fighting in the War of 1812 the British burned
Havre de Grace, Frenchtown, and other communities in 1813. A British
army was turned back at Baltimore, however, and in September 1814,
Fort McHenry, the key defense bastion of the city, withstood a severe
bombardment by the British fleet. During this battle Francis Scott
Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Maryland was a slaveholding state, and during the controversy
that led to the American Civil War large segments of the population
favored secession from the Union. Although the state adhered to
the Union, many Marylanders served in the Confederate army, and
Confederate forces invaded the state on two occasions. In September
1862 a decisive battle, the only major engagement on Maryland soil,
was fought near Sharpsburg. A new constitution, adopted in 1864,
penalized all Marylanders who had supported the Confederacy, but popular
objection to this provision resulted in the present constitution,
adopted in 1867.
Until the 1900s the state maintained a relatively steady economic
growth, a pattern that was dramatically broken by a surge of industrial
expansion during and after the two world wars. To accommodate the
needs of its rapidly expanding population, Maryland launched a series
of long-range programs to expand and improve its transportation,
social, and educational facilities. By the 1970s it had become a
national center for space research and development, and federal
government employees represented a growing segment of the work force.
As the sprawling suburbs of Baltimore and Washington approached
one another, Maryland in the 1980s and ’90s redoubled its
efforts to alleviate urban and racial pressures and to preserve
the charm of its landscape. Similar efforts were made from the 1960s
through the 1990s to revitalize Baltimore’s downtown and
Inner Harbor.
At the end of the 20th century, Maryland was one of the nation’s most solidly Democratic states. In 2002, Robert Ehrlich (1957– ) and Michael Steele (1958– ) led a temporary Republican resurgence, winning election as governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. The GOP tide was reversed four years later, as Ehrlich lost his reelection bid, and Steele was defeated by Rep. Ben Cardin (1943– ) in the contest for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retirement of five-term Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes (1933– ). The race was notable in that Steele, an African-American, won about half of the white vote, according to exit polls, while Cardin, who is white, was supported by an overwhelming majority of black voters. The state’s other U.S. senator, Barbara Mikulski (1936– ), also a Democrat, easily won reelection to a fourth term in 2004.