Encyclopedia > Maryland

The English colony of Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore[?] who on March 25, 1634 led the first settlers into this area which would soon become one of the few dominantly Catholic regions among the English colonies in America. The Maryland toleration act was one of the first laws that explicitly tolerated varieties of religion (as long as it was Christian), and is sometimes seen as a precursor to the First Amendment.

Originally, based on an incorrect map, the royal charter granted Maryland the Potomac River and territory northward to the fortieth parallel. This was found to be a problem, because this would put Philadelphia, the major city in Pennsylvania, within Maryland. The Calvert family, which controlled Maryland, and the Penn family, which controlled Pennsylvania, engaged two surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, to survey what became known as the Mason-Dixon line which would form the boundary between their two colonies.

Maryland was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.

Maryland remained largely neutral in the United States Civil War. As it did not secede (in part due to precautions taken by the government in Washington, D.C.), it was not included under the Emancipation Proclamation and retained legal slavery for some years after the Civil War.

Law and Government

As in all fifty states, the head of the executive branch of government is a Governor. The legislative branch is called the General Assembly, and consists of a Senate[?] and an House of Delegates[?]. See:List of Maryland Governors

Geography See: List of Maryland counties

Maryland is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania, on the west by West Virginia, on the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean, and on the south, across the Potomac River, by Virginia. Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the state.

Physical formations
- Appalachian Mountains
- Chesapeake Bay

Economy

Federal Agencies
- National Institutes of Health
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center

Demographics

As of 2000, the state's population was 5,296,486.

Important Cities and Towns

Annapolis - state capital
For a more exhaustive list, see List of cities in Maryland

Education

Colleges and Universities

Professional sports teams

Minor League baseball teams

Miscellaneous Information

The state bird is the Baltimore oriole[?]; the state flower is the black-eyed susan[?]; state sport is jousting; state dog is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever; state cat is the calico cat; and the state song is "Maryland, My Maryland." Nickname is "The Old Line State."