In The Oyster Question, Christine Keiner utilizes environmental, agricultural, political, and social history perspectives to investigate the Maryland oyster industry and its decline throughout history to answer the question if the oyster industry should be privatized. She offers opposing viewpoints from scientists, politicians and local community members. She has managed to connect scientific history with environmental history with local history to bring together a comprehensive overview of the problems both past and present of the Maryland oyster industry. I think that Christine keener does an excellent job, not without its flaws, of laying bare how science and preservation is necessary to be understood as local phenomena, manipulated by …show more content…
After this distress erupted Maryland instituted a new law that only residents could harvest oysters. So the northerners moved south.
When the refrigerated rail cars came onto the scene, it changed the oyster game. Oysters could now be enjoyed all over the country and Americans loved them, oysters went as far west as the Rocky Mountains! The oyster business was booming. In 1870 one fifth of the men in the entire fishing industry were Chesapeake Bay oystermen. There were twenty-six thousand fishermen and processors employed in the Chesapeake oyster industry. The bay then had around forty-two thousand boats, just for oystering. On average, they were harvesting fifteen million pounds of oysters a year. In 1885, twenty nine million bushels were harvested. An increased demand led to increases in harvests. The bay quickly began to deplete. From 1865 to 1959 there was a series of disputes that erupted among the various groups of oystermen. Sometimes violent, these disputes caused the government to intervene with a newly created Maryland Oyster Navy.
To help regulate the oyster industry a series of steps were taken in the 1880s: a general license system, the oyster police, the Winslow oyster survey, and numerous road and canal expansion projects. The 1890s brought decline in the oyster industry, due to both demand and the depletion of the bay, though by the mid 1900s it was fairly stable. This was helped in part by the Hanan oyster culture
During the 1700's, people in the American colonies lived in very distinctive societies. While some colonists led hard lives, others were healthy and prosperous. The two groups who showed these differences were the colonists of the New England and Chesapeake Bay areas. The differentiating characteristics among the Chesapeake and New England colonies developed due to economy, religion, and motives for colonial expansion. The colonists of the New England area possessed a very happy and healthy life. This high way of living was due in part to better farming, a healthier environment, and a high rate of production because of more
The difference in development between New England and the Chesapeake Bay region was a matter of several issues ranging from freedom of religion, economy, the system of governing and most importantly, unity. What made these two societies differ was the effort
While both colonies were settled in Eastern America, the regional geography had a hand in influencing this expansion. New England was known for its harsh climate, forcing its inhabitants to endure brutal winters, and miserably hot summers. Because many European immigrants sought arable land, the unyielding soil of New England impeded the immigrants agriculturally and forced them to depend on livestock. They criticized the Indians for “wasting” the land-not using what little arable land they had to its full potential. As a result, the New Englanders used up as much land as they could to make sure “[t]hat everyone shall have a share of the meadow or planting ground…” (Doc D). They felt it was their duty to clear woodlands and establish a settlement. Additionally, they turned to the coastline and built harbors to fish rather than farm, unlike their Southern counterparts. Geography had a different impact on the people of the Chesapeake region. The people of Chesapeake capitalized on their good soil, and, unlike the New Englanders, they grew tobacco. Tobacco proved very profitable and
Although the settlements of Chesapeake Bay and New England came from the same mother country their social structure was very different and as a result, affected the prosperity of the new born colonies. The New England colony’s population was very
By the 1700s the two regions, New England and Chesapeake varied greatly in spite of being from the same mother country, England. Physical and cultural differences separated these two regions distinctively. While religion moulded the daily life in New England, Money and tobacco farming dominated the Chesapeake.
Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct development were mostly based on the type on people from England who chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas were settled.
Thesis Statement: When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure.
By the 1700’s the Chesapeake and New England regions had developed vast differences. Although both regions were settled by a group of people from the same location and a common culture, the two had developed into areas with little similarities. Differences between the groups can be seen when looking at the cultures of both areas. The New England and Chesapeake regions developed differently by the 1700’s because of political, religious, and economic reasons.
* How did this make the development of colonies along the Chesapeake different from the evolution of those in New England?
New and the Chesapeake’s both had significant and similar purpose to escape from Europe and make states that can allow their own freedom. However, in time both regions began to change and in most ways different in many divisions. Many of these changes or differences such as purpose for freedom, the climate and the environment, and political and economic structures through the changes. Each of these changed the regions own perspective and back ground thus making these regions very different in was unimaginable.
When the English sailed over to the New World, there were only a handful of them, that is, until slavery was introduced. While New England was almost all white English settlers Chesapeake was made up of mostly African American slaves. In New England, the need for slaves was not very high because of the
In conclusion, New England and Chesapeake Bay were both settled by a large population of English colonists. However, they differed from each other in many different ways. New England was more lenient about religion, wanted equality, and seemed to have a plan to begin governmental organization right from the get go. On the other hand the Chesapeake was a more fundamental Christianity, had an unstable political plan and had various issues in settling the territory. They both were unique and heterogeneous when it came to the running of society and how people functioned but that’s why so many English settlers came to the New World; to found their beliefs in a place where they would be accepted and
In 1419, Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal began the period of time known as the “Age of Exploration”. Europe’s leading superpowers, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, and England, all competed for colonization in unknown territories. Samuel de Champlain colonized along the St. Lawrence River in 1608, Henry Hudson of Holland established Albany in 1609, and Spain established colonies in Mexico and Mesoamerica. In 1607, England established its first colony in North America around the Chesapeake Bay, and nearly a decade later established a second colony in present-day New England. Both New England and the Chesapeake were founded by the British around the same time; however, both colonies developed a different economy, government, and many
New England Seafood Company executives face a potential two-stage plan to move into the freshwater catfish market because of the banned oyster harvesting along much of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and increased competition from foreign producers. These factors have resulted in significantly lower yields for New England Seafood. In order to stay in business, New England Seafood Company needs to look at harvesting and processing something other than seafood. New England Seafood Company looks to
Delaware’s economy was based on trading and agriculture. It also had lumber, ship building, and iron work industries as well as a huge tobacco and fishing