Baltimore


 * Quick History of Baltimore/ Maryland Before 1850:** When Virginia became a royal colony in 1624, King Charles I cut off a piece and gave it to his friend Lord Baltimore. The province became Maryland. The first settlement in Maryland consisted of about twenty gentlemen and three hundred artisans and laborers. They were led by two of Lord Baltimore's brothers two Catholic priests and arrived in 1634. Baltimore was founded in 1729 when the Maryland General Assembly bought 60 acres of land at the head of the Patapsco River. Baltimore served as the national capital for more than 2 months during the Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress fled Baltimore in 1776 when British troops threatened Philadelphia. In the 1800's, Baltimore played an important role in the War of 1812. Armed merchant ships sailed from Baltimore Harbor and attacked British shipping. Because of this, in 1814 the British attacked Baltimore by land and ambushed Fort McHenry. It was this battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write [|The Star Spangled Banner] When the National Road began construction in 1811, it opened up midwestern markets to Baltimore, causing Baltimore to become the leading port for midwestern trade. Railroads built in the 1830's also helped Maryland retain its position as an important city for trade. Ships sailed from Baltimore to Europe and South America mainly with flour, tobacco, and wheat and usually brought back coffee, copper, hides, and sugar. Baltimore soon became the nation's largest market for coffee.


 * Baltimore after 1850:** Along with being a major market for coffee, Baltimore also became a major banking center with many investments in the South.During the 1840's and 1850's, many German and Irish immigrants settled in Baltimore. During the Civil War, remained in the Union during the Civil War although many people in Baltimore sympathized with the Confederacy. Some years after the war, a Baltimore merchant named Johns Hopkins left $7 million to build a university and hospital in Maryland. By 1900, Maryland had a population of 508,957, not only comprised of Irish and German immigrants but now also of Czechs, Italians, and eastern European Jews. On February 7, 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire occurred in downtown Baltimore.

Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland and a principal port city in the U.S. It lies on the Patapsco River and has one of the largest natural harbors in the world. It is the only U.S. port with two links to the Atlantic Ocean.

Amalie Bratberg Baltimore
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