Maryland Summary

Maryland was first settled in 1634 and entered the Union on April 28, 1788, as the seventh of the original 13 states. Though one of America’s smallest states, it has often been the stage upon which significant events of the nation’s history have been enacted. The Treaty of Paris, which brought an end to the Revolutionary War and acknowledged the independence of the colonies, was ratified on January 14, 1784, by the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis, the state’s capital.

The port city of Havre de Grace only narrowly lost out to Washington DC as the site for the nation’s capital. Maryland ceded land for the establishment of the District of Columbia in 1791. Because Maryland surrounds Washington DC, much of its economy is dependent upon government services, such as Department of Defense installations and the National Institutes of Health.

During the Civil War, perhaps the most pivotal battle of the entire conflict was fought in the farmlands west of Frederick around a trickling stream called Antietam Creek. That one day of confrontation saw the greatest loss of American lives ever to occur during a single day of war in the country’s history, and Robert E. Lee’s shattered Southern army retreated south back across the Potomac River.

aryland’s border with the Atlantic Ocean is a flat and often swampy expanse and includes two of the state’s premier natural attractions, Assateague Island National Seashore, and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Chesapeake Bay cuts through the heart of the state, providing Maryland with a proud maritime heritage stretching back some 300 years. Western Maryland includes Garrett County, with parklands and lakes that are ideal for hiking, camping, and fishing for trout. Forests cover two-fifths of the state. With the exception of its urban areas, much of the state to the west of Chesapeake Bay is made up of farmlands and tiny rural communities.They are all connected to Maryland’s proud history through landmarks, festivals, or monuments.