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Essay Baltimore

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The beautiful city of Baltimore, Maryland, nicknamed “Charm City” is full of historical cites and landmarks. It was founded July 30, 1729, and it was named after Lord Baltimore, the first proprietary governor of the Province of Maryland1. It was founded to serve the economic needs of 18th century farmers2. The waterways in Baltimore have been a passage for ships carrying commercial cargo and new citizens since the 1600s. Baltimore became the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States during the 1800s. Shipbuilding was one of the earliest industries in Baltimore, and it increased during the Revolution and the War of 1812. When the British controlled Philadelphia in 1777, Baltimore became the meeting place of the …show more content…

Just prior to the Civil War, Maryland was a southern slave state, and during the war, they became part of the union but still kept slavery legal. The Pro-southern sentiment led to the Baltimore riot of 1861, when Union soldiers marched through the city. After the riot Union troops occupied Baltimore, and the whole state of Maryland came under direct federal administration until the end of the war in 1865. This was a very vital move by the union because they did not want Washington, D.C. to become completely surrounded by seceded Confederate territory. The case Ex parte Merryman, written by the Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, dealt with the habeas corpus rights of Marylanders jailed by the Abraham Lincoln Administration and strongly reprimanded Lincoln for his actions. Baltimore's overseas trade was principally with the Caribbean Islands and South America, regions undergoing economic and social changes. At the same time, the American frontier was pushing even farther west, threatening to leave Baltimore behind in its economic wake. The State of Maryland concentrated its efforts on completing the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, designed to link the Potomac and Ohio River valleys, but the city of Baltimore supported an overland link in the form of the Baltimore & Ohio

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