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The Maryland History and Culture Bibliography

Kester, John G. "Charles Polke: Indian Trader of the Potomac." Maryland Historical Magazine 90 (Winter 1995): 446-65.

Marsh, Joan F. "William Henry Holmes and 'Holmescroft'." Montgomery County Story 42 (August 1999): 89-100.

Abingbade, Harrison Ola. "The Settler-African Conflicts: The Case of the Maryland Colonists and the Grebo 1840-1900." Journal of Negro History 66 (Summer 1981): 93-109.

Alpert, Jonathan L. "The Origin of Slavery in the United States: The Maryland Precedent." American Journal of Legal History 14 (1970): 189-222.
Notes: Maryland was the "first province in English North America to recognize slavery as a matter of law" (189). Therefore, the study of Maryland is useful for historians studying how American slavery was a product of the law. Early legislation recognized the existence of slavery, for while indentured servitude and slavery co-existed, and the terms were used interchangeably, the law still distinguished between the two. "All slaves were servants but not all servants were slaves" (193). However, it wasn't until 1664 when a statue was created which established slavery as hereditary. This statute was the first law in English North American to thus establish this type of slavery, legalizing what had been de facto since 1639. The author concludes that laws reflect the attitudes of a society and the manner in which societal problems are resolved. In the case of Maryland, servant problems could be avoided by replacing indentured servitude with perpetual slavery.

Berlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998.

Berlin, Ira. Slaves Without Masters: The Free Negro in the Antebellum South. New York: Pantheon Books, 1974.
Notes: The author spends some time discussing Maryland, and the Upper South in general, in order to emphasize geographic distinctions which impacted the status of free Negroes. He postulates that the treatment and status of free blacks foreshadowed the treatment of black people in general after emancipation. In addition, the author examines the various classes of free blacks to understand how different groups viewed their social role. For the elite, positions of leadership continued after the Civil War. Maryland is of particular interest since by 1810, almost one-quarter of Maryland's black population was free. Maryland therefore had the largest free black population of any state in the nation.

Buford, Carolyn Bames. The Distribution of Negroes in Maryland, 1850-1950. M.A. thesis, Catholic University, 1955.

Craven, Wesley Frank. White, Red, and Black: The Seventeenth-Century Virginian. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1971.
Notes: Remains the standard multi-cultural work for the 17th century.

Donaldson, O. Fred, and Richard L. Morrill. "Geographical Perspectives on the History of Black America." Economic Geography 48 (1972): 1-23.

Olson, Sherry. Baltimore: The Building of an American City. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980.
Notes: Geographer Olson's book, by far the most thorough illustrated history of Baltimore, is strong on geographic and commercial development, and gives less attention to the arts, including architecture. However it does feature many historic photographs of buildings and contemporary news accounts of their construction.

Atlas of Howard County, Maryland, 1878. Ellicott City, MD: Howard County Bicentennial Commission, Inc., 1975.
Notes: Originally part of G. M. Hopkins atlas.

Bataller, Neal. "Ednor and Norwood-Quiet Reminders of the Past." Legacy 19 (Fall 1999): 1, 5.

Bayley, Ned. "Colesville-In the Beginning." Montgomery County Story 36 (February 1993): 237-48.

Benson, Robert Louis. "The Creation of Howard County." Anne Arundel County History Notes 26 (January 1995): 5-7.

Benson, Robert Louis. "Notes on South County." Anne Arundel County History Notes 23 (July 1992): 5-6.

Blumgart, Pamela James, ed. At the Head of the Bay: A Cultural and Architectural History of Cecil County, Maryland. Elkton, MD: Cecil Historical Trust, 1996.
Notes: This beautifully illustrated book presents a history of the development of the county along with a history of its architecture, including house forms, methods of construction, and outbuildings, along with brief write-ups on 700 historic sites.

Boyd, Thomas Hulings Stockton. The History of Montgomery County, Maryland, from its earliest settlement in 1650 to 1879. Clarksburgh, MD [Baltimore, W. K. Boyle & son, printers], 1879; reprint, Baltimore: Regional Pub. Co, 1968.
Notes: Written following the American, and the County's, Centennial, this work places special emphasis on land grants and prominent men. Includes a directory of the towns, villages, and residents.

Canby, Tom, and Elie S. Rogers. Sandy Spring Legacy. Sandy Spring, MD: Sandy Spring Museum, 1999.
Notes: A history of greater Sandy Spring which includes Brookeville, Ashton, Olney, Brinklow/Cincinnati, Brighton, and Laytonsville/Mt. Zion. Nearly 200 pages of historic images, all sepia, are arranged around themes or communities, i.e. "Some Childhood Recollections ...","The Era of the Grist Mills","Early Churches Take Root","Old Homes Bespeak Prosperity and Taste". Small historic maps of the communities are included.

Canby, Tom. "When Sandy Spring Struck GOLD!" Legacy 15 (Winter 1996): 1, 7.

Cook, Eleanor M. V. "Georgetown: Jewel of Montgomery County-Part II." Montgomery County Story 42 (February 1999): 61-76.

Crawford, Joan B. "A Heritage Preserved: The Creative Traditions of Western Maryland." Maryland 25 (Summer 1993): 38-44.

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