Maryland's History (Page Three) |
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Maryland: 1865-1920- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Post Civil War Since Maryland had remained in the Union during the Civil War, the state did not undergo reconstruction like the states of the former Confederacy. However, as both a Southern state and a former slave state, Maryland did experience many of the same problems with civil rights and racial tensions as did the rest of the south. The deep divisions in the state between those who fought for the North and those who fought for the South were also difficult to repair. The Democratic Party regained power in the state from the Republicans who had gained control of the government during the war. With the shift in power away from the Republicans, support for the Constitution of 1864 ended and it was replaced by the Maryland Constitution of 1867. That document, which is still in effect today, resembled the 1851 constitution more than its immediate predecessor and was approved by 54.1% of the state's population. However, while reapportioning the legislature based on population, not counties, which gave greater power to freed slaves, the document undid many of the benefits that the prior constitution had given to the state's African American population. Over the next several decades, the position of the state's African American population would remain an issue. This matter was brought to the forefront of Maryland politics in 1910 by the proposed Digges Amendment to the state constitution. The amendment would have used property requirements to effectively disenfranchise many African Americans (and possibly some immigrants) in the state. It was passed by the Maryland General Assembly and had the approval of the Governor, Austin Lane Crothers), but it still required the approval of the people. Even before the people even had a chance to vote on the amendment, a bill was proposed which would have effectively passed the requirements of the Digges Amendment into law anyway. Not only did that measure fail (after a public outcry) but the amendment itself was rejected by the voters of Maryland. This was only the most notable rejection of a black-disenfranchising amendment. At least two other defeated proposals, the Poe Amendment in 1905 and the Straus Amendment in 1909, tried to restrict the voting rights of blacks in the state and other such proposals would arise in Maryland over the next several years. Progressive Era Reforms- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In the early 20th century, a political reform movement, centered in the rising new middle class arose. One of their main goals included having government jobs granted on the basis of merit rather than patronage. Other changes aimed to reduce the power of political bosses and machines, which they succeeded in doing. In a series of laws passed between 1892 and 1908, reformers had ballots distributed and pre-marked by the parties replaced with uniform state-issued ballots; obtained closed voting booths to prevent party workers from "assisting" voters; initiated primary elections to keep party bosses from selecting candidates; and had candidates listed without party symbols, which discouraged the illiterate from participating. Although promoted as democratic reforms, the changes had the effect the middle class was seeking. The illiterate and lower classes were discouraged from going to the polls. Voting participation dropped from about 82% of eligible voters in the 1890s to about 49% in the 1920s. Other laws that were passed did more to help the state's working men and women. For instance, in a series of laws passed in 1902, the state regulated conditions in mines; outlawed child laborers under the age of 12; mandated compulsory school attendance; and enacted the nation's first workers compensation law. The workers compensation law would be overturned in the courts, but was redrafted and finally enacted in 1910. The law would become a model for national legislation a few decades later. The Great Baltimore Fire- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 was a momentous event for the Maryland's largest city and the state as a whole. The fire raged in Baltimore, from 10:48 a.m. Sunday, February 7, to 5:00 p.m. Monday, February 8, 1904 and Over 1,231 firefighters were required to bring the blaze under control. One reason for the fire's duration was the lack of national standards in fire-fighting equipment. Although fire engines from nearby cities (such as Philadelphia and Washington, as well as units from New York, Wilmington, and Atlantic City) responded, many were useless because their hose couples failed to fit Baltimore hydrants. As a result, the fire burned over 30 hours, destroying 1,526 buildings spanning 70 city blocks. In the aftermath, 35,000 people were left unemployed. After the fire, the city was rebuilt using more fireproof materials, such as granite pavers. |
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World War I- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The United States initially tried to avoid involvement in World War I, which many saw as a European conflict. However, the country was eventually pulled into the massive war (see World War I: Entry of the United States). This, of course, brought many changes to the nation and Maryland was no exception. Maryland was the site of many new military bases, like Camp Meade (now Fort Meade) and the Aberdeen Proving Ground, which were established in 1917 and the Edgewood Arsenal, which was founded the following year. Other existing facilities, including Fort McHenry, were greatly expanded. To coordinate wartime activities in the state, like the expansion of federal facilities, the General Assembly set up a Council of Defense. The 126 seats on the council were filled by many of the state's most prominent citizens. The Council, which had a virtually unlimited budget, was charged with defending the state, supervising the draft, maintaining wage and price controls, providing housing for war-related industries, and promoting support for the war. Citizens were encouraged to grow their own victory gardens and to obey ration laws. They were also forced to work, once the legislature adopted a compulsory labor law with the support of the Council of Defense. Maryland In The 20th Century- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In 1918, Maryland elected Albert C. Ritchie, a Democrat, governor. He would be reelected four times, serving from 1919 to 1934, and is arguably the state's all-time most popular governor. Handsome and aristocratic, Ritchie was very pro-business. He hired a management firm to streamline government operations and established a budget process controlled largely by economists. He also won approval for a civil service system that had long been sought by reformers, who wanted positions given on the basis of merit and not patronage; reduced the number of state elections by extending legislative terms from two to four years; and he appointed many citizens' commissions to advise on nearly every aspect of government. State property taxes dropped sharply under Ritchie, but so did state services. A powerful state movie censorship board kept subversive ideas away from the masses. Three times, including 1924 and 1932, Ritchie was a candidate for President of the United States, arguing that Presidents Coolidge and Hoover were hopeless spendthrifts. Meanwhile, Congress submitted the Nineteenth Amendment to the states for ratification in June of 1919. This amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was rejected by the Maryland legislature on February 24, 1920. However, the amendment was finally ratified six months later when Tennessee became the 36th state to approve the measure. (Maryland would subsequently ratify the amendment on March 29, 1941, a purely symbolic gesture.) The presidential election of 1920 was thus the first election in which women could vote in Maryland (the state went for Warren Harding, the Republican nominee and ultimate winner). Albert Ritchie also lost his bid for the Democratic Party's nomination for President in 1932. Despite a large demonstration for support at the convention, Franklin D. Roosevelt was nominated and went on the win the election. Ritchie continued to serve as governor until 1935. Upon his retirement, one newspaper said he was "the greatest governor Maryland ever had." But, like the rest of the country and much of the world, the state was now in the midst of the Great Depression. |
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The Great Depression and World War II- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Maryland's experience during the worldwide economic downturn was not particularly unique, though in 1932 the "Bonus Army" marched through the state on its way to Washington, D.C. In addition to the nationwide New Deal reforms of President Roosevelt, Maryland also took steps to weather the hard times. For instance, in 1937 the state instituted its first ever income tax. The decade also saw advancements in civil rights. The 1935 case Murray v. Pearson et al resulted in a Baltimore City Court ordering integration of University of Maryland Law School. The plaintiff in that case was represented by Thurgood Marshall, a young lawyer working with the NAACP and a native of Baltimore. The attorney general appealed to the state's highest tribunal, the Court of Appeals, which affired the decision. Because the state did not appeal the ruling in the federal courts, this state ruling under the U.S. Constitution was the first to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 Supreme Court decision approving racial segregation. While it was a moral precedent, it was not a legal one, and had no authority outside the state of Maryland. |
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