USA > Maryland > Leading events of Maryland history; with topical analyses, references, and questions for original thought and research > Part 10
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Describe the two plans of the British for conquering the country.
68. The Battle of Long Island.
General plan of battle ; its results.
Position of the Maryland troops ; their noble sacrifice.
69. From Long Island to Morristown. Services of the old Maryland Line.
The capital temporarily removed from Philadelphia to Baltimore.
70. Second Attempt to Conquer New York and Hold the Hudson. Plans for the year 1777. Capture of Philadelphia.
The surrender of Burgoyne.
Philadelphia evacuated ; battle of Monmouth.
Describe the services of Marylanders at Germantown ; Fort Mifflin ; Monmouth.
Describe the difficulties of the state at home.
I33
THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
71. Second Plan of Conquering the Country.
Success of the plan at first.
72. The Campaign of General Gates.
Describe the battle of Camden, and the part taken by the troops of Maryland.
73. The Campaigns of General Greene.
Greene's skill as a general ; what he accomplished.
Surrender of Cornwallis ; its importance.
74. Maryland Troops in the South.
What was the general character of the services of the Maryland troops in the South ?
Describe the battle of Cowpens, and the part taken by Maryland soldiers.
What important duty was assigned to Otho Holland Williams, and how was it performed ?
Describe the services of Marylanders at Guilford Courthouse ; Hobkirk's Hill ; the siege of Ninety-Six ; Eutaw Springs.
What did General Greene say of Maryland troops and their officers ?
75. Naval Operations.
Services of the navy ; privateers sent out from Baltimore.
The engagement of the Hyder Ally and the General Monk.
76. Close of the War; Women of Maryland.
Annapolis becomes the capital of the United States ; Washington resigns his commission there.
Services of the women of Maryland.
77. Maryland's Part in the Winning of Independence.
Describe the extent and importance of Maryland's services in the Revolutionary War.
QUESTIONS FOR ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND RESEARCH
1. Read the Declaration of Independence. Is it true that all men are created equal ? Explain your answer. Notice the charges against the king of England, and see if you can find any specific instance of the truth of several of them. Had the colonies any legal right to declare themselves independent ? Had they a right morally ? Is it right to disobey a bad law ? Have the people of Maryland the right, legally, to alter the form of their government to-day ? (See Maryland Bill of Rights, Art. I.)
2. Can you think of a reason why no battles were fought on Maryland soil during the Revolution ?
I34
LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
3. Find on the maps all points mentioned in the text.
4. Compare the two plans of the British for conquering the colonies. Which was the better ? Compare the work of the Maryland troops in the North and the South.
5. Discuss the arrangement of troops by Gates for the battle of Camden. Gates sent off four hundred Maryland regulars on other duty shortly be- fore the battle, duty that the militia could have performed ; what might he have done with these troops instead? What advantages had the Americans in the character of the field of battle?
6. Write an account of what you have learned in this chapter, under the title, " Maryland in the Revolutionary War."
REFERENCES
For an account of the War of Independence, see Elson's History of the United States, pp. 243-317, or any good history of the United States. For a fuller account, with excellent descriptions of battles and their results, consult Fiske's The American Revolution. For southern campaigns, see biographies of General Greene ; Mary- land and North Carolina in the Campaign of 1780-1781, by E. G. Daves, Fund Publication No. 33 of the Maryland Historical Society ; A. A. Gunby's Colonel John Gunby of the Maryland Line (The Robert Clarke Company, Cincinnati). Many works on United States history will suggest themselves as valuable for this period.
Browne's Maryland, pp. 286-314. James' revision of McSherry's History of Maryland, pp. 162-260. If possible consult Scharf's History of Maryland, Vol. II.
CHAPTER II FOUNDING THE NEW NATION
' " The credit of suggesting, and successfully urging in Congress that policy which has made this country a great national commonwealth belongs to Maryland and to her alone."
- Herbert B. Adams.
78. The Articles of Confederation. - When the thirteen Ameri- can colonies declared themselves independent of Great Britain, each regarded itself as having become free and sovereign. Being so intimately associated in many ways, and compelled to act in concert to carry on the war, some sort of general government was necessary, to which certain powers were dele- gated by the states, while others were reserved to themselves. This was all that was aimed at, for as yet there was no strong national sentiment, and each state was very jealous of its independence. A form of government to meet the needs of the occasion was prepared by a committee of Congress, and. adopted by that body late in the year 1777. This constitution, or form of government, was called the Articles of Confedera- tion, and in the course of the next fifteen months was accepted by all the states except Maryland. Maryland's refusal to ratify the Articles, says the historian Fiske, " was first in the great chain of events which led directly to the formation of the Federal Union."
79. The Attitude of Maryland. - At first sight these seem to be rather surprising statements. Why should Maryland thus refuse to unite with the other states? Having done so, how could that refusal be productive of such tremendous results ?
I35
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
In order to understand the replies to these questions, a few words of explanation are necessary. North of the Ohio river, and extending to the Great Lakes, stretched a vast expanse of unsettled country known as the Northwest Territory. Owing to ignorance of the country and other causes, the grants of land to the various colonies by English sovereigns were in many cases conflicting, and in some cases preposterously large. Under an old charter, Virginia now laid claim to this vast terri- tory northwest of the Ohio, while at the same time claims were made by New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Maryland declared that these claims were neither just nor wise, and until they were withdrawn she positively refused to agree to the Articles of Confederation. Her statesmen clearly showed the harm that might result to other states if the claims of Vir- ginia were admitted, and declared that what had been won through the efforts of all should become the common property of the states, "subject to be parcelled out by Congress into free, convenient, and independent governments, in such manner and at such times as the wisdom of that assembly shall hereafter direct." Now we have further to observe, that during the stormy period which followed the war with England (hereafter to be described), it was the common interest in the Northwest Terri- tory which was "perhaps the only thing that kept the Union from falling to pieces." As the principal influence in holding the states together, it was of course most important in the found- ing of the nation. With admirable wisdom and foresight the statesmen of Maryland perceived the vast importance of the Northwest Territory, and declared, in the General Assembly of the state, that the control of Congress over the western lands was "essentially necessary for rendering the Union lasting." Having thus taken her stand, on the grounds both of justice and good policy, Maryland stood firm, steadily refusing to accept the
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FOUNDING THE NEW NATION
Articles of Confederation until the states should yield their claims to the United States. The importance of Maryland's action now becomes evident. If common interest in the Northwest Terri- tory held the states together at the close of the war, thus making a national government possible, and if Maryland alone so acted as to pro- cure for all the states their common interest, then clearly to Maryland must come the glory of that mighty event. "Just as it was Massachu- setts that took the decisive step in bringing on the Revolutionary War when she threw the tea into Boston harbor, so it was Maryland that, by leading the way toward the creation of a national domain, laid the cor- ner stone of our Federal Union " John Hanson 1 After the painting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia (Fiske).2 The Marylanders most prominent in this great work were Daniel Carroll, William Paca, James Forbes, and George Plater.
Having practically accomplished her purpose, Maryland en- tered the Union, March 1, 1781 ; thus was the wonderfully impor- tant work of her statesmen crowned with success, at the very
1 From 1781 to 1782, John Hanson of Maryland was "president of the United States in Congress assembled."
2 When new states were formed from the Northwest Territory, liberal grants of the pub- lic lands were made to them to support education. It has been contended that since these lands were the common property of the Union, it is an unjust discrimination to give to some states and not to others. And by some it has been maintained that Maryland, owing to the great service explained in the text, has a peculiar claim to a share in such gifts. As long ago as 1821, the General Assembly of Maryland resolved that each state was entitled to participate in the benefits of the public lands, and that states that had not received appropriations were entitled to receive them. These resolutions were sent to every state and to the representatives of Maryland in Congress, but without effect.
I38
LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
moment when her heroic soldiers in the field were taking the decisive part in the final brilliant movements of General Greene.
80. "The Critical Period." - The practical workings of the Confederation were found to be anything but satisfactory. Congress was composed of representatives of the states, not of individual citizens. If its requests were not obeyed, it had no means of enforcing obedience, and it possessed no power of taxation. It has been aptly said of the Confederate govern- ment that it could declare everything and do nothing. Its weakness is shown by the fact that at one time about eighty soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line, drunken and mutinous, drove Congress out of the city of Philadelphia.
The sentiment of union among the states was sadly weak. Indeed, it is rather hard for us at this day to realize the condition of affairs at that time. There was no telegraph or telephone; there were no steamboats, no railroads; a person can now travel from Massachusetts to Oregon in less time than it took to travel from Boston to Philadelphia in 1783. Mails were very slow and postage high. As a natural consequence, the states were almost like foreign countries to one another. Manners and customs differed greatly in different parts of the country, and many very silly prejudices existed. The mutual jealousies and petty spites of the various states had been shown . during the war, which indeed had at times come near to failure through lack of the sentiment of union.
Now that the war was over, and the pressing necessity for concerted action had ceased, this sentiment was of course weaker than ever. Sectional strife increased, threats of seces- sion, or separation, were heard from both North and South, and sometimes it seemed almost as if there would be civil war. It was now that the beneficent effects of Maryland's fight for national control of the western lands was felt in its full force,
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FOUNDING THE NEW NATION
for a common interest in the valuable territory held the states together. It soon became apparent that something must be done, and done at once.
81. Formation of the Federal Union. - Among the chief evils of this period was the commercial war which the states waged against one another, by charging high tariff duties on goods brought into one state from another. Virginia and Maryland found it necessary to come to some agreement for the regula- tion of their commerce, and this was thought a good occasion for a general conference of the states on the same subject. A convention met at Annapolis in September, 1786, but only five states were represented. The convention therefore adjourned without discussing the matter, but before doing so, it issued a call for another convention to meet at Philadelphia and devise some means for the improvement of the general govern- ment.
The convention met accordingly in Philadelphia in May, 1787, and adjourned in September of the same year. George Wash- ington was elected president of this famous body, which then proceeded to abolish the old Confederation, and to frame the system of government under which we now live. The Constitu- tion so framed was adopted by the states, and on April 30, 1789, George Washington became first president of the United States. There was much opposition to the new Constitution, and its rati- fication was opposed by some of the strongest patriots. The states seemed to fear that a strong central government would after a time become an instrument of tyranny. When the people were once convinced that they were not going to sacrifice any of their liberties, but were merely going to transfer from the states to a national government those powers which it was necessary to exercise in common, they did not hesitate to adopt the Constitution. In Maryland, a convention met at Annapolis
.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
on April 21, 1788, and seven days later ratified the Constitution by a vote of 63 to II. 1
TOPICS AND QUESTIONS
78. The Articles of Confederation.
How did the new states regard themselves?
What necessity for Union existed? What was done to meet the need? What action was taken in this matter by Maryland ? Was the act of importance ?
79. The Attitude of Maryland.
The Northwest Territory ; conflicting claims of several states.
Maryland advances the idea that this territory should be the property of all the states, and shows both the justice and good policy of the plan.
The action of Maryland was, in effect, the laying of the corner-stone of the Federal Union.
Maryland carries her point and enters the Union, March 1, 1781.
80. " The Critical Period."
How did the Articles of Confederation work when put into practical operation ?
Describe fully the condition of the country under this form of govern- ment.
What held the states together?
81. Formation of the Federal Union.
Why the convention met at Annapolis in September, 1786.
A new convention called for the following May to meet at Phila- delphia.
The Constitutional Convention meets ; George Washington elected president.
The present Constitution framed by the convention and adopted by the states.
George Washington elected first president of the United States. Adoption of the Constitution in Maryland.
1 During the period covered by this chapter there occurred an event which, while not connected with the subject of the chapter, is of too much interest to remain unnoticed. On March 14, 1786, James Rumsey of Cecil county, Maryland, made a trial trip at Har- per's Ferry, in a steamboat invented by him. The vessel was eighty feet long and operated by drawing water in at the bow and forcing it out at the stern. This was more than twenty years before Fulton launched the Clermont. See Browne's Maryland, PP. 319-320.
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THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY was divided into the five following states (with Minnesota east of the Mississippi) : 1. Ohio, admitted 1803 ; 2. Indiana, admitted 1816 ; 3. Illinois, admitted 1818; 4. Michigan, admitted 1837 ; 5. Wisconsin, admitted 1848. (See note on map of U. S. 1783.)
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FOUNDING THE NEW NATION
QUESTIONS FOR ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND RESEARCH
1. How did the English gain their title to the Northwest Territory? How did the Americans gain theirs? What great states have since been formed from the Northwest Territory? What natural resources does this region contain? What facilities for trade?
2. Suppose the states of the Union to be entirely independent of one another; try to imagine some of the consequences. Is the law- making power of value without the right to attach penalties? Can a government be maintained without the right to impose taxes? . Justify the term, "The Critical Period."
3. Name some of the powers which our Federal Government alone can exercise. Name some things which are managed entirely by the states. How long has our present system of government lasted? What is a republic? What is a democracy? What form of gov- ernment have the states? Can one of these states change this to another form of government? Could all the states, acting together, do so?
4. Write an essay on "Maryland's Part in Founding the American Nation."
REFERENCES
For a general account of the establishment of our Federal Union, see Fiske's The Critical Period of American History. The importance of Maryland's part in the great work is explained in this book. For an account devoted particularly to the part borne by Maryland, see the masterly essay of Professor Herbert B. Adams on Maryland's Influence upon Land Cessions to the United States; this work is published in the Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science, Third Series, No. i. Elson's History of the United States, pp. 318-340.
CHAPTER III
INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND
82. The State Government. - The organization of a state government in Maryland, following the Declaration of Independ- ence and the overthrow of the proprietary government, and the election of Thomas Johnson as first governor, have already been mentioned. This new government was successful from the first. After an able administration, Governor Johnson was succeeded by Thomas Sim Lee, who in turn was succeeded by William Paca in 1782. In 1785 the noted Revolutionary officer, General Wil- liam Smallwood, was elected governor of the state. Three years later he was succeeded by John Eager Howard, who will be remembered as the hero of Cowpens and a leading spirit in the many hard-fought battles in the South.
83. The Potomac Company : Plans for Opening a Trade Route to the Western Part of the State. - The western part of Mary- land was a region of rich resources, abounding in forests of valu- able timber and in rich mines, particularly of soft coal. It also possessed excellent soil and a pleasant and healthful climate, and after the Indians had ceased to threaten the frontiers its popula- tion had steadily increased. It was therefore of the highest importance to open up a trade route for the natural wealth of this region to the Chesapeake, and thence to the markets of the world.
The Potomac river would naturally suggest itself as a high- way for this trade, and it is said that as far back as the campaign of General Braddock, Washington had considered this very idea,
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INTERNAL AFFAIRS
and had come to the conclusion that the river might be made navigable as far as Fort Cumberland. In 1784 the matter was > taken up by the legislatures of Virginia and Maryland ; commis- sioners were appointed on both sides, and presently the Potomac Company was formed. George Washington was elected first president, and so deeply was he interested that he personally assisted at some of the surveys. Of course, it was the idea of the Potomac Company to open up the western part of Virginia as well as of Maryland. A great deal of money was invested in
The Potomac River at Harper's Ferry From a photograph
the enterprise, and the work was carried on at intervals for many years, but in the end the attempt had to be given up. The old Potomac Company then became merged in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. The history of this organization will be taken up further on in the course of our narrative.
84. Interest in Education. - Following the end of the war, much interest seems to have been taken in education. In 1782 Washington College was founded at Chestertown on the Eastern Shore, and named in honor of our illustrious first president. In 1784 St. John's College was founded at Annapolis, and in the
I44
LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
following year the two were united as the University of Mary- land. This arrangement, however, was not completed. King Wil- liam's School (see Sec. 43) was merged in St. John's College. These two colleges, Washing- ton and St. John's, are still in existence.
85. Founding the City of Washington. - Dur- ing former years Con- gress had moved about from city to city accord- ing to the necessities of the moment. After the establishment of a truly national government it McDowell Hall, St. John's College From a photograph became necessary to fix upon a permanent cap- ital. After much discussion, Congress finally decided upon the Potomac river for its location, and Washington was asked to- select a site for the future seat of government. He chose that of the present city of Washington, named for the "Father of his Country." A district ten miles square, on both sides of the river, was ceded to the United States by Virginia and Mary- land. It was provided that the public buildings should be erected on the Maryland side, and the part ceded by Virginia was after- ward given back to that state. Both Maryland and Virginia appropriated large sums of money to be used for the erection of these buildings. The corner-stone of the Capitol was laid by Washington on September 18, 1793, and the seat of govern- ment was removed to the new capital in June, 1800.
I45
THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND
THE WAR OF 1812
86. Causes of the War. - The Revolutionary War was fought for political freedom; the War of 1812 was fought for commer- cial freedom. The British found it difficult to obtain enough sailors to serve in their navy, and this want they undertook to supply by boldly stopping American vessels on the high seas and taking off seamen, under the pretense that they were deserters from the British navy. This was called impressment, and the unfortunate men so impressed were cruelly robbed of home, friends, and country without the least cause or any chance of redress. Such an act, of course, would not now be tolerated for one moment, but it must be remembered that in the beginning of the century our country was pitiably weak, and we were obliged to suffer some bitter wrongs, simply because we were too weak to help ourselves. England was mistress of the seas, with a navy nearly a hundred times as strong as ours, and for a while we suffered in silence. Never- theless, England's conduct soon became so overbearing as to be unendurable, and in June, 1812, Congress declared war.
87. Progress of the War; Gallant Exploit of Marylanders. - The declaration of war was not approved by all the people of the country; most of the party known as Federalists opposed it, and in New England, where trade was interfered with, the war was denounced as unnecessary and ruinous, and threats of secession were heard. The Massachusetts Senate even declared the war to be " founded on falsehood and declared without neces- sity." In Maryland the Senate resolved "that the war waged by the United States against Great Britain is just, necessary, and politic, and ought to be supported by the united strength and resources of the nation, until the grand object is obtained for which it was declared." The majority of the Maryland
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