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Free Traveling Guides » States » Maryland History of Maryland
Maryland, popularly known as the ‘Old Line State’ or the ‘Free State’, is situated on the Atlantic Coast in the Southern region of the United States of America. This state exhibits characteristics of both the Southern and Northern regions of the United States owing to its history as a border state. George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore in the Irish House of Lords applied to Charles I in 1629 for a new royal charter. However, it was only after his death that the royal charter for “Maryland Colony” was granted to his son, Caecilius Calvert, on June 30, 1632. The new colony was named after Henrietta Maria, Queen Consort of Charles I. The first settlers arrived in the area in 1634. Maryland soon became the prime destination of tens of thousands of British convicts and also the only region in the British Empire where Catholics acquired the highest positions of political authority. An important event in the history of the State was the “Battle of the Severn”, in which a Puritan army near Annapolis defeated the Roman Catholic army of the 2nd Lord Baltimore. The Puritan Revolt lasted until 1658. St. Mary’s City was the largest site of the original Maryland colony and also the seat of the colonial Government until 1708, after which the seat was moved to Providence (Annapolis). Yet another major event in the history of Maryland was the Cresap’s War, a border conflict fought in the 1730s between Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was in May 1738 that the armed phase of the conflict finally came to an end with the intervention of King George II. However, the final official settlement was achieved only in 1767, when the Mason-Dixon Line was declared as the permanent boundary between the two colonies. Maryland was one among the thirteen colonies, which revolted against the British Rule in the American Revolution. In 1781, Maryland approved the ratification of the Articles of Confederation and was admitted to the United States. In December 1790, the land selected by President George Washington was provided to the federal government for the creation of Washington, D. C. The War of 1812 and the American Civil War were among the other turning points in the history of the state. As Maryland was a part of the Union, it was exempted from the anti-slavery provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Constitutional Convention held in 1864 concluded in the passage of a new state constitution on November 1 of the same year. Thereafter, the practice of slavery was completely outlawed as per Article 24. It was in 1867 that the right to vote was finally extended to the non-white males as well. |
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