Maryland
Maryland became a U.S. state on April 28, 1788 as the 7th state. Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian explorer in the 1500s, was the first European to visit the Chesapeake. Later came English settlers, who left England for more economic opportunities and to escape religious oppression. In 1608, Capt. John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay area. Maryland was named after Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I, by Cecil Calvert, who was granted a charter for the land in 1632. The leader of the colonists and first Governor of Maryland was the brother of Cecil, Leonard Calvert.
Trade restrictions and high taxes led to the Revolutionary War in 1775. Marylanders opposed the Stamp Act, protested the Boston Port Bill by burning a boat and the tea cargo, and attended the First Continental Congress in 1774 in Philadelphia.
Many battles from the War of 1812 were fought in Maryland. The British raided towns along the Chesapeake Bay, defeated Americans in the Battle of Bladensburg, and burned the Capitol and other government buildings in Washington D.C. On Sept. 12, they attacked Baltimore and fired on Fort McHenry. The American army defended the city and drove them out of Maryland.
In 1806 the Historic National Road, which was to stretch from Maryland to the Ohio River, is commissioned as America’s first federally funded highway. Construction begins in Cumberland five years later.
During the Civil War, Maryland was a slave state but remained in the Union. Consequently, Marylanders fought on both sides and many families were divided.
In 1919, Congress passed the prohibition law, prohibiting the manufacturing, selling and transporting of alcoholic beverages. Maryland opposed the law, because it violated their state’s rights. Because of this, they were known as the Free State.
In 1985, Maryland began a government project to clean up the waste from cities and factories flowing into Chesapeake Bay. The waste was killing many of the fish and shellfish living there. Since then, millions of oysters have been placed in the bay.
Today’s Maryland major industries are chemicals, food and kindred, and publishing .
The largest cities in Maryland are Baltimore, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bowie, Hagerstown and Annapolis.
Notable
Location
Maryland borders with Pennsylvania to the north, which is the Mason and Dixon Line, drawn in 1760 to settle a dispute between the Penn and Calvert families. The Mason and Dixon Line is regarded as the boundary between North and South. To the south much with Virginia, in the mountainous west is interlocks with the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.
Climate
The climate in Maryland varies according to altitude and proximity to water. Maryland has four distinct seasons. The warmest time of the year is in July, where temperatures range from 85°F to 89°F (29°C to 32°C). Winters are cold, with snow heaviest in the mountain regions in the west, and January is the coldest month averaging between 20°F and 25°F (-7°C to -4°C). In Baltimore humidity averages about 60 percent between February and April and 75 percent from August to October.
Capital
Annapolis
Population as of 2009
5,699,478 Ranked number 19 in the U.S.
Seats in the House of Representatives
8
Electoral College
10
Nick name
Old Line State
Flower
Black-eyed susan
Bird
Baltimore oriole
Animal
Thoroughbred Horse
