USA > Maryland > Leading events of Maryland history; with topical analyses, references, and questions for original thought and research > Part 13
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102. The Maryland Colonization Society.
Southern sentiment against slavery ; the efforts of Maryland in behalf of the negroes.
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The Maryland State Colonization Society.
(a) When was it formed?
(b) What was its object ?
(c) How did its members think this could best be accomplished?
(d) What aid did the Society obtain ?
(e) With what success did it meet?
103. The Controversy over Slavery between the North and South.
Rise of the Abolitionists ; their opinion about slavery.
Effect on the South.
Connection of territorial expansion with the slavery question.
Formation of the Republican party ; its principles.
The election of Abraham Lincoln and its effects.
104. States' Rights; Secession of Southern States.
What differences of opinion existed about the rights of states? What states exercised the right of secession that was claimed? What new government was formed ? With what results?
105. The Position of Maryland.
Explain the peculiar difficulty of Maryland's position.
State the wide differences of opinion that prevailed.
Which side did Maryland take in the contest, and why?
106. The War for the Union.
Describe the beginning and general character of the Civil War. Who were the commanding generals on each side?
How did the war result?
107. First Bloodshed of the War.
Attack on the Sixth Massachusetts regiment in Baltimore city. Destruction of bridges.
The order of the president of the United States.
108. Maryland Occupied by Federal Troops ; Acts of Oppression.
The military authorities assume control.
Arrest of Mr. John Merryman and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.
The opinion of Chief Justice Taney of the United States Supreme Court.
Protest of the Maryland Legislature.
Imprisonment of the commissioners of police for Baltimore city.
Arrest of the members of the Assembly from Baltimore city and county, and of the mayor of Baltimore city.
Arrest of Judge Carmichael.
The lesson that these acts teach.
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
109. Maryland Troops in the War; Invasions of the State.
Give an account of the services of Maryland troops on both sides in the Civil War.
Describe the successive invasions of the state by the armies of the Confederacy.
When and how did the war come to an end?
110. Maryland Aids the Stricken South.
The terrible condition of the South at the close of the war.
Sympathy of Maryland.
(a) The Southern Relief Society ; $160,000 raised.
(b) Contribution of George Peabody.
(c) The General Assembly appropriates $100,000.
QUESTIONS FOR ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND RESEARCH
1. What invention tended strongly to promote the growth of slavery ? Explain how. Was the idea of the Colonization Society about the abolition of slavery a good one? Give reasons for your answer.
2. In what way would it have been a positive disadvantage to the Confederacy if Maryland had seceded? In what way would it have been a great advantage? Comparing the two, was it better for the Confederacy that Maryland did not secede?
3. What was the capital of the Confederacy? Why was this city difficult for a Northern army to capture?
4. What provision does the Constitution of the United States make about the writ of habeas corpus ? What provision does the Constitution of Mary- land make in regard to it ? (See Const., Art. III, Sec. 55.) Explain how an innocent person could be imprisoned indefinitely if it were not for this writ.
REFERENCES
For a more complete account of slavery and the Civil War, see Elson's History of the United States, pp. 539-776, or any standard history of the United States. See also Latrobe's Maryland in Liberia, Fund Publication No. 21 of the Maryland Historical Society ; Harris' Reminiscences of April, 1861, No. 31 of ditto ; Golds- borough's Maryland Line, C.S.A .; Brackett's The Negro in Maryland, Johns Hopkins University Studies, Extra Volume. Browne's Maryland, pp. 345-362. James' revision of McSherry's History of Maryland, pp. 338-396.
CHAPTER VI
FROM THE CLOSE OF THE CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT
THIS period of the history of our state has been characterized by steady growth and prosperity. It began with the formation of our present system of state government, and throughout has been marked by the completion of many noble and important works of public improvement, and by the development and estab- lishment of our present institu- tions and mode of life. We have now to observe the leading facts connected with these important events.
111. Gifts of George Peabody. - The valuable services rendered the state by George Peabody have George Peabody already come under our notice From a painting in the gallery of the Maryland Historical Society (see Sec. 96), and also his gen- erous gift to the suffering South. At this point Mr. Peabody again appears as a public benefactor. The Peabody Institute of Baltimore, endowed by this unselfish and public-spirited gentleman, was dedicated in 1866. Provision was made for a free library, a gallery of art, courses of lectures, and a school of music. To the Maryland Historical Society, also, Mr. Peabody contributed generously, and he gave many
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other large sums for the diffusion of knowledge and the relief of the poor and distressed.
Though not a native of Maryland, Mr. Peabody spent some years of his life here, where he laid the foundation of the great
Peabody Institute From a photograph
fortune that he accumulated. He established himself in London in 1837, but he always remained a patriotic American, and always retained a warm affection for his adopted state.
112. Formation of the Present State Government. - In 1864, the war not yet being over, a new state Constitution was adopted, which abolished slavery. This Constitution prescribed an oath to be taken by all voters, thus deciding who should vote on its adoption and who should not; and it further provided that the vote of the soldiers absent in the Union armies should be taken in their camps. In both cases it made itself operative before it had legal existence, which, of course, it could have only after being adopted by the people, since it was submitted to them for ratification. Even then it was believed that the Constitution
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was defeated, when the soldiers' vote was brought in and it was found to have been adopted by a very small majority.
When the war was over and the military authorities were re- moved, it was natural, under these circumstances, that a strong desire for a new Constitution should exist and make itself felt. A convention was accordingly called in 1867 for the purpose of making a new Constitution. It framed the government under which we now live, and this was adopted at an election held September 18, 1867, by a majority of twenty-four thousand.
The Constitution is composed of two parts. The first, called the Declaration of Rights, consists of forty-five articles. It is a statement of the general rights which the people of the state consider of special importance to their freedom. It is declared that the people have the right " to alter, reform or abolish their form of government in such manner as they may deem expe- dient." It asserts the right of every person to worship God as he pleases, and to freedom of speech, and declares that no one must be deprived of his liberty, life, or property except by " the judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land." The Constitution of the United States, and the laws enacted under its provisions, are made the supreme law of the state ; but it is . declared that all powers not delegated to the United States, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to Maryland.
The second part of the Constitution is the Form of Govern- ment. The legislative power is vested in a General Assembly, composed of two Houses, the Senate and the House of Dele- gates. In the former, each county is represented by one mem- ber, and the city of Baltimore by three; 1 in the latter each county is represented according to its population, Baltimore
1 A recent amendment to the Constitution divides Baltimore city into four legislative districts, giving the city four senators and four times as many delegates as the most populous county.
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sending three times as many delegates as the most populous county. The Assembly meets biennially on the first Wednesday of January. If he deems it necessary, the governor may call the legislature together in special session. The chief executive power is vested in a governor ; he is elected by the people for four years and receives a salary of $4,500 a year. To the gov- ernor is given the appointment of many important officials, and he has the power to appoint all officials whose appointment is not otherwise provided for in the Constitution or by law. In most cases the appointments are made by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. There is a secretary of state, appointed by the gov- ernor, to keep a record of official acts and pro- ceedings, and to have The City Hall, Baltimore From a photograph the custody of the Great Seal. An attorney-general and a comptroller of the treasury are elected by the people ; the former to represent and advise the state in all legal matters, and the latter to manage the money affairs of the state. A treasurer is elected by the General Assem- bly. For the administration of justice the state is divided into eight districts, called circuits. Baltimore, which composes the eighth circuit, has a separate system of courts. In each of the other circuits three judges are elected, - a chief and two asso- ciates. The chief judges of these circuits, together with a
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special judge from Baltimore city, form the Court of Appeals, the highest court of the state.
The Constitution provided that every white male citizen of twenty-one years should have the right to vote, but the word " white " was rendered of no effect by the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which extends the right of suffrage to negroes. The legislature of Maryland rejected this amendment by a unanimous vote, but it received the ap- proval of the necessary number of states and so was adopted.
113. Valley of the Patapsco Flooded. - In July, 1868, a terri- ble flood occurred in the valley of the Patapsco river. Sudden and heavy rainfall caused a great rise of the waters of the stream, and soon houses, trees, and debris of all kinds were hurried along with the current. For several miles above Ellicott City the river flows between steep hills, and here the water acquired frightful height and velocity. When it reached the town, the water swept everything before it, -stores, dwelling- houses, bridges, and everything within reach of its deadly grasp. The rise of the waters was so rapid as to prevent the escape of many persons from its power, and thirty-nine lives were lost. The lower parts of Baltimore were flooded also, resulting in considerable loss of property.
Another destructive flood occurred in May, 1889, other parts of the country suffering at the same time.
114. Public Buildings of Baltimore. - In 1875 a new City Hall was completed in Baltimore which is among the finest buildings of the kind in the United States. The structure covers an area of over thirty thousand square feet. The white marble used in its construction was quarried in Baltimore county, Maryland. Near the City Hall is another large and handsome building, the Postoffice, completed in 1890 by the government of the United States. It is built of granite.
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Baltimore has recently added to her public buildings a beauti- ful new Courthouse, a veritable palace of justice. At the front of the building are eight large monolithic columns, representing a cost of $5,200. They were furnished from the quarries at Cockeysville, Baltimore county, Maryland. The granite of the
The Courthouse and Battle Monument, Baltimore From a photograph
basement was also quarried in Maryland. The interior of the building is beautifully finished in hardwood and marble, and at the main entrance are two bronze doors. This fine structure is fireproof throughout, and contains 218 rooms, 8500 electric lights operated by its own plant, and four electric passenger elevators. The building was begun in 1895 and occupied January 8, 1900.
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115. Johns Hopkins University and Hospital. - In 1876 the Johns Hopkins University was opened. Johns Hopkins was a wealthy citizen of Baltimore who, dying in 1873, left an estate of about $7,000,000 for the purpose of founding a univer- sity and a hospital. Dr. Daniel C. Gilman, president of the University of Califor- nia, was appointed president ; he resigned in 1901 and was suc- ceeded by Dr. Ira Remsen. Since its or- ganization under the gifts of Johns Hopkins, other public - spirited 111 1A: citizens of Baltimore have contributed sev- eral million dollars to the institution. The 1 University has enjoyed the services of many learned and devoted men, not a few of whom are world famous. The McCoy Hall, Johns Hopkins University From a photograph Johns Hopkins Uni- versity has come to be one of the leading uni- versities of America, and is highly respected abroad, while its influence for good in Baltimore and Maryland can scarcely be overestimated.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital was opened in 1889, and occupies an elevated site in the eastern part of Baltimore city. Its mag- nificent buildings occupy four squares, and cover about fourteen
FROM THE CLOSE OF CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT
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Johns Hopkins Hospital From a photograph
acres. This hospital is considered one of the finest institutions of the kind in the world. Connected with it is a school for nurses.
116. Monument to Edgar Allan Poe. - On the 17th of No- vember, 1875, a monument was erected to the memory of the Maryland poet, Edgar Allan Poe. The monument was erected over the poet's grave in Westminster churchyard, corner of Fayette and Greene streets, Baltimore. Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, where his parents happened to be at that time. His father was a Baltimorean of good family, who married an actress, and the parents were fulfilling a theatrical engagement in Boston at the time of the poet's birth. Poe died in Baltimore in 1849. The monument was erected to his memory by the teachers and pupils of the public schools of Baltimore. Tributes from a number of American authors and a letter from Lord Tennyson, the poet-laureate of England, were read in the West- ern Female High School, adjoining the churchyard.
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Poe's writings embrace poems, tales, essays, and criticisms. He possessed a brilliant, subtle, and keenly analytic intellect, and a poetic imagination of un- usual power. His poetry is char- acterized by exquisite melody and a haunting, melancholy beauty ; his short stories, among the great- est in the world's literature, deal with mystery, terror, horror, and the supernatural with unequalled skill and power. The Mary- land poet takes very high rank among American authors, and by most foreign readers and critics is regarded as the most original The Poe Monument, Baltimore From a photograph genius that America has pro- duced.
117. Strike on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. - In 1877 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company found it necessary to reduce expenses, and accordingly reduced the salaries of all employees, believing that this would cause less suffering than the discharge of a number of men who were not needed. A large number of the trainmen thereupon refused to work for the reduced wages, and when the company employed other men to perform their duties, the strikers interfered forcibly to prevent it. Trains were stopped at several points along the line of the road, and in Baltimore thousands of rough and disorderly persons collected, many of whom had no connection with the railroad company.
The rioters assumed so threatening an attitude that it was found necessary to call out the militia, and bloodshed followed. The troops were attacked in Baltimore, and the Sixth regiment,
Edgar Allan Poe From a daguerreotype
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
in forcing its way through the streets, was obliged to fire re- peatedly upon the crowd, while the Fifth regiment charged into Camden station at the point of the bayonet. Camden station and other property was set on fire, causing heavy losses. The govern- ors of Maryland and West Virginia asked the president to send United States troops to the scenes of disorder. The rioters were after a time subdued. The strike extended to other railroads, but less destruction of property occurred in Maryland than in other states, owing to the prompt and efficient services of the state militia and the police of Baltimore.
37
The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Building From a photograph
118. The Enoch Pratt Free Library. - In 1882 Enoch Pratt, a wealthy merchant of Baltimore, laid before the mayor and city council his plans for the founding of a public library. The necessary arrangements having been made, Mr. Pratt gave more than a million dollars for this purpose. A handsome library building was erected on Mulberry
street, near Cathedral, and there are now seven branch libraries in various parts of the city. The library was opened in 1886, under the direction of Dr. Lewis H. Steiner, who died in 1892, and was succeeded by his son, Dr. Bernard C. Steiner. This
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valuable gift of Mr. Pratt is called the Enoch Pratt Free Library. The institution has circulated a vast number of books and has been a source of pleasure and profit to thousands.
119. The First Electric Railroad. - " It was in Baltimore that the first electric railroad operated in America for actual commercial service was constructed and run successfully." This was accomplished in August, 1885, the cars making a speed of about twelve miles an hour.
Thus Baltimore, which took the lead with the steam locomo- tive, constructed the first successful electric line, and was the scene of the first practical use of the electric telegraph.
120. The Celebration of the Defense of Baltimore. - In Sep- tember, 1889, six days were devoted to a celebration of the sev- enty-fifth anniversary of the defense of Baltimore against the attack of the British in 1814, the memorable occasion that in- spired the "Star-spangled Banner." The exercises began on September 9 with a great industrial display, showing the progress of the city in manufacturing. On the 12th a sham battle took place at Pimlico to illustrate the battle of North Point. The battle was well planned and admirably executed. On the night of Septem- ber 13 there was a grand representation of the bombardment of Fort McHenry ; the weather was unfortunately rainy, but the affair was observed by more than a hundred thousand persons. During the celebration many distinguished persons visited the city, including the president and vice-president of the United States, with members of the cabinet, the governors of Maryland and Delaware, many army officers, and other persons of note.
121. Monuments to Distinguished Marylanders. - To her many distinguished citizens Maryland has from time to time erected suitable monuments. Baltimore's popular name, the Monumental City, has already been mentioned in connection with the erection of the noble monument to Washington, and
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the Battle Monument. Since that time a large number of similar testimonials have been raised ; among others, one to the memory- of Colonel Armistead, who commanded Fort McHenry in 1814, during the attack of the British army and fleet on the city.
On the site of the ancient city of St. Mary's a monument was raised in 1891 to the memory of Leonard Calvert, first governor of Maryland. The ceremony of unveiling was performed on the 3rd of June, and many persons of prominence were in attendance. The oration was delivered by William Pinkney Whyte, attorney-general of the state. This simple granite shaft, thirty-six feet high, suitably inscribed, and bearing the coat of arms of Maryland, marks the spot where the Ark and the Dove landed the first settlers of Maryland, nearly three hundred years ago. It is a tribute fully deserved, and the following lines, inscribed on the monument, are but a just statement of Leonard Calvert's services to Maryland in her infant days : -
By his Wisdom, Justice and Fidelity, he Fostered the Infancy of the Colony, Guided it Through Great Perils, And, Dying, Left it at Peace.
Three days later a granite monument, eleven feet high and bearing upon its face crossed Confederate flags, was unveiled at Loudon Park cemetery, Baltimore. This monument was raised to the memory of General James R. Herbert, a Maryland officer who fought with distinction in the Confederate army during the Civil War (see Sec. 109).
In 1892 a modest cube of Maryland granite was unveiled on the battle-field at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, in mem- ory of the soldiers of the Maryland Line. The great services of Maryland troops, and the splendid charge they made at Guilford Courthouse, have already been described (see Sec. 74).
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In the history of the Revolution, the heroic sacrifice of four hundred Maryland soldiers at the battle of Long Island has also been described (see Sec. 68). Here, near the spot where the brave men under Major Gist laid down their lives for their com- rades, a monument has been dedicated to their memory by the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. The ceremony took place in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on Au- gust 27, 1895, the one hundred and nineteenth anniversary of the battle. The monument, twenty-seven feet high, consists of a beautiful column of highly polished Tennessee marble, resting upon a block of polished granite. It contains the following inscription, in raised letters of bronze : -
In Honor of Maryland's Four Hundred, Who on this Battle-field, August 27, 1776, Saved the American Army.
The same Society (Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution) erected in 1898 a modest monument to the memory of General William Smallwood, the Revolutionary soldier and governor of Maryland. It is a plain granite block, five feet in height and suitably inscribed, upon his grave in Charles county.
In 1898 (August 9) a bronze statue, nine feet high, was unveiled at Mt. Olivet cemetery, Frederick, to the memory of Francis Scott Key (see Sec. 90). In its granite base rest the remains of the author of the "Star-spangled Banner," with those of his wife.
One of the most notable achievements in this direction was the erection in Mt. Royal Plaza, Baltimore, of a beautiful monument to all Marylanders who aided the cause of freedom
The Maryland Revolutionary Monument, Mt. Royal Plaza, Baltimore From a photograph
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in the Revolutionary War. The monument is sixty feet six inches in height, the shaft is of Baltimore county granite and surmounted by a statue of the Goddess of Liberty, and the pedestal is suitably inscribed. The monument was erected through the efforts of the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. The state and Baltimore city each con- tributed, but the attempt to obtain an appropriation from Con- gress failed, owing to the opposition of two successive Speakers of the House. The unveiling took place on October 19, 1901 . (Peggy Stewart day). After an invocation by the Reverend Henry Branch, D.D., and addresses by Mr. Alfred Duncan Bernard, historian of the society, and Colonel William Ridgely Griffith, chairman of the committee, the monument was formally transferred to the city by the Honorable Edwin Warfield, presi- dent of the society.
On January 16, 1904, a splendid equestrian statue of John Eager Howard, brilliant soldier and governor of Maryland, was unveiled on Washington Place, Baltimore. Governor Warfield, Mayor M'Lane, many distinguished persons, and a large assem- blage of citizens were present. The statue, which was the work of Emmanuel Fremiet, the leading sculptor of France, was presented to the city by the Municipal Art Society.
122. The Spanish-American War. - In April, 1898, Congress declared war against Spain. The war grew out of the cruel oppression of Cuba by Spain and the destruction of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor. Maryland, as usual, can claim a fair share of the honors in the war, which soon ended in complete victory for the United States.
The Pacific squadron of the United States, under Commo- dore Dewey, attacked and destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila bay on May I, without the loss of a man. In the second assault, the cruiser Baltimore led the line of battle, and per-
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formed gallant service. Her commander, Captain Dyer, was voted a sword of honor by the city whose namesake he so ably commanded. Lieutenant Commander John D. Ford (now Rear Admiral) of Baltimore was chief engineer of the Baltimore, and shortly after the battle became fleet engineer.
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