Maryland: From John Smith to Thurgood Marshall
Maryland: From John Smith to Thurgood Marshall
Learn more about Maryland and its geography, people, economy, and history.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
Maryland is a state in the Middle Atlantic region of the eastern United States.
The northern border of Maryland is the famous Mason-Dixon Line, the traditional dividing line between North and South.
Chesapeake Bay is a large body of salt water that juts into Maryland from the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Major rivers empty into the bay, including the Susquehanna, Potomac, and Chester.
Maryland surrounds the U.S. capital – Washington, D.C. – on three sides. The Potomac River borders the capital’s other side.
The Appalachian Mountains cross into Maryland in the far west of the state.
Whites make up just over half of Maryland’s population. At 30 percent, African Americans are by far the largest minority. The Hispanic population is small but growing.
The largest cities in Maryland are Baltimore, Germantown, Columbia, and Silver Spring.
Since Maryland surrounds Washington, D.C., on three sides, it is not surprising that the U.S. government is the largest employer in the state. Many people commute from the surrounding Maryland communities to the capital for work.
Blue crabs are a unique part of Maryland’s economy. The Chesapeake Bay provides a significant percentage of all blue crabs harvested in the United States every year.
The land that became Maryland was occupied by Native Americans thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The Nanticoke and the Conoy, or Piscataway, and the Susquehannock were among the tribes that lived there.
In 1608, Captain John Smith, the leader of the Jamestown Colony, sailed into Chesapeake Bay. He spent several weeks there, exploring and mapping the bay.
In the 1620s, George Calvert, Lord Baltimore wanted to start a colony that was a safe place for Catholics to worship.
The Calvert family founded the colony of Maryland in 1634. In 1649, Maryland passed America’s first law regarding religious toleration. The law granted religious freedom to all Christians.
Many people from Maryland fought in the American Revolution. After England’s defeat, Maryland became the 7th state when it ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1788.
Benjamin Banneker was one of the first important African American intellectuals. Active in Maryland in the late 1700s, he was a mathematician, astronomer, inventor, and writer.
Francis Scott Key was a lawyer who practiced in and around Maryland. After witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he wrote the poem that eventually became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave and conductor for the Underground Railroad. She journeyed into Maryland many times to lead hundreds of slaves to freedom.
Thurgood Marshall, a Maryland native, was a lawyer who fought for civil rights. He was the first African American Supreme Court justice.
The northern border of Maryland is the famous Mason-Dixon Line, the traditional dividing line between North and South.
Chesapeake Bay is a large body of salt water that juts into Maryland from the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Major rivers empty into the bay, including the Susquehanna, Potomac, and Chester.
Maryland surrounds the U.S. capital – Washington, D.C. – on three sides. The Potomac River borders the capital’s other side.
The Appalachian Mountains cross into Maryland in the far west of the state.
Whites make up just over half of Maryland’s population. At 30 percent, African Americans are by far the largest minority. The Hispanic population is small but growing.
The largest cities in Maryland are Baltimore, Germantown, Columbia, and Silver Spring.
Since Maryland surrounds Washington, D.C., on three sides, it is not surprising that the U.S. government is the largest employer in the state. Many people commute from the surrounding Maryland communities to the capital for work.
Blue crabs are a unique part of Maryland’s economy. The Chesapeake Bay provides a significant percentage of all blue crabs harvested in the United States every year.
The land that became Maryland was occupied by Native Americans thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The Nanticoke and the Conoy, or Piscataway, and the Susquehannock were among the tribes that lived there.
In 1608, Captain John Smith, the leader of the Jamestown Colony, sailed into Chesapeake Bay. He spent several weeks there, exploring and mapping the bay.
In the 1620s, George Calvert, Lord Baltimore wanted to start a colony that was a safe place for Catholics to worship.
The Calvert family founded the colony of Maryland in 1634. In 1649, Maryland passed America’s first law regarding religious toleration. The law granted religious freedom to all Christians.
Many people from Maryland fought in the American Revolution. After England’s defeat, Maryland became the 7th state when it ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1788.
Benjamin Banneker was one of the first important African American intellectuals. Active in Maryland in the late 1700s, he was a mathematician, astronomer, inventor, and writer.
Francis Scott Key was a lawyer who practiced in and around Maryland. After witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, he wrote the poem that eventually became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave and conductor for the Underground Railroad. She journeyed into Maryland many times to lead hundreds of slaves to freedom.
Thurgood Marshall, a Maryland native, was a lawyer who fought for civil rights. He was the first African American Supreme Court justice.