Difference between revisions of "Baltimore"
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| − | '''Baltimore''' is the largest city in the state of [[Maryland]], the 19th largest in the United States, | + | '''Baltimore''' is the largest city in the state of [[Maryland]], the 19th largest in the United States, It is part of the [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]-Baltimore metropolitan area.<ref> The city is entirely separate from Baltimore County.</ref> |
| − | Baltimore was settled in the early 17th century and founded as a town in 1729. It was named after Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland. | + | Baltimore was settled in the early 17th century and founded as a town in 1729. It was named after Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland. In recent decades the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor, and the gentrification of rundown neighborhoods have been major factors in Baltimore's resurgence. |
The 2005 population is estimated as: 635,815. | The 2005 population is estimated as: 635,815. | ||
==People== | ==People== | ||
The city's s population is nearly 60% black and also includes many people of Italian, German, and central European ancestry. From the 1840s to the 1950s the citry was dominated by [[German Americans]]. | The city's s population is nearly 60% black and also includes many people of Italian, German, and central European ancestry. From the 1840s to the 1950s the citry was dominated by [[German Americans]]. | ||
| + | ==Industry== | ||
| + | From 1860 to 1960, Baltimore was an important center of the men's ready-to-wear clothing industries. German-speaking Jews created many businesses that manufactured and sold underwear, men's suits, and specialty items such as hats and umbrellas. | ||
| + | ==Education== | ||
| + | The new Maryland state constitution of 1864 ended slavery and provided for the education of all children, including blacks. The Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People established schools for blacks that were taken over by the public school system, which then restricted education for blacks beginning in 1867 when Democrats regained control of the city. Establishing an unequal system that prepared white students for citizenship while using education to reinforce black subjugation, Baltimore's postwar school system exposed the contradictions of race, education, and republicanism in an age when African Americans struggled to realize the ostensible freedoms gained by emancipation.<ref>Robert S. Wolff, "The Problem of Race in the Age of Freedom: Emancipation and the Transformation of Republican Schooling in Baltimore, 1860-1867," ''Civil War History'' 2006 52(3): 229-254 </ref> | ||
==Higher culture== | ==Higher culture== | ||
Baltimore is the site of the Johns Hopkins University (1876), a premier research institution best known for its medical school. Other notable schools are the College of Notre Dame of Maryland (1873), Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (formerly the Peabody Conservatory of Music; founded 1857), and Goucher College (1885) in suburban Towson. Much of the work of higher education is done by the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the University of Maryland, and Towson State University. The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Peale Museum, and the Walters Art Gallery have notable collections of art, and the B & O Railroad Museum houses an impressive collection of railroad memorabilia. The Morris Mechanic Theater, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and Fort McHenry (its successful defense against the British in 1814, inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner") are other major attractions. Nearby Pimlico Race Track is the site of the Preakness Stakes, a major event in horse racing. Druid Hill Park contains the city zoo and a natural history museum. The ''[[U.S.S. Constellation]]'', launched in Baltimore in 1797 and today the oldest U.S. warship afloat, is a major tourist attraction in the harbor. | Baltimore is the site of the Johns Hopkins University (1876), a premier research institution best known for its medical school. Other notable schools are the College of Notre Dame of Maryland (1873), Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (formerly the Peabody Conservatory of Music; founded 1857), and Goucher College (1885) in suburban Towson. Much of the work of higher education is done by the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the University of Maryland, and Towson State University. The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Peale Museum, and the Walters Art Gallery have notable collections of art, and the B & O Railroad Museum houses an impressive collection of railroad memorabilia. The Morris Mechanic Theater, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and Fort McHenry (its successful defense against the British in 1814, inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner") are other major attractions. Nearby Pimlico Race Track is the site of the Preakness Stakes, a major event in horse racing. Druid Hill Park contains the city zoo and a natural history museum. The ''[[U.S.S. Constellation]]'', launched in Baltimore in 1797 and today the oldest U.S. warship afloat, is a major tourist attraction in the harbor. | ||
| − | + | ==Religion== | |
| + | Baltimore has long been a major center of the Catholic Church. | ||
| + | In 1806-21 Catholics constructed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based on a neoclassical design by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. A $34-million restoration was based on Latrobe's original plans and was completed in 2006. | ||
==Scandals== | ==Scandals== | ||
Mayor Sheila Dixon, a Democrat, was forced to resign in 2010 as part of a plea bargain; already convicted of a misdemeanor for stealing donated gift cards intended for poor children, she was facing yet another trial on perjury charges. | Mayor Sheila Dixon, a Democrat, was forced to resign in 2010 as part of a plea bargain; already convicted of a misdemeanor for stealing donated gift cards intended for poor children, she was facing yet another trial on perjury charges. | ||
==Famous sons and daughters== | ==Famous sons and daughters== | ||
| − | + | *[[Spiro Agnew]], Republican who was Baltimore's county executive, and vice president under Richard Nixon (1969-73), when he was forced to resign because he was still taking bribes from Baltimore clients. | |
*[[David Hasselhoff]] | *[[David Hasselhoff]] | ||
*[[Edgar Allan Poe]] (born 1809 in [[Boston]]) died and was buried in Baltimore in 1849. | *[[Edgar Allan Poe]] (born 1809 in [[Boston]]) died and was buried in Baltimore in 1849. | ||
Revision as of 12:19, January 10, 2010
Baltimore is the largest city in the state of Maryland, the 19th largest in the United States, It is part of the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area.[1]
Baltimore was settled in the early 17th century and founded as a town in 1729. It was named after Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland. In recent decades the redevelopment of the Inner Harbor, and the gentrification of rundown neighborhoods have been major factors in Baltimore's resurgence.
The 2005 population is estimated as: 635,815.
Contents
People
The city's s population is nearly 60% black and also includes many people of Italian, German, and central European ancestry. From the 1840s to the 1950s the citry was dominated by German Americans.
Industry
From 1860 to 1960, Baltimore was an important center of the men's ready-to-wear clothing industries. German-speaking Jews created many businesses that manufactured and sold underwear, men's suits, and specialty items such as hats and umbrellas.
Education
The new Maryland state constitution of 1864 ended slavery and provided for the education of all children, including blacks. The Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People established schools for blacks that were taken over by the public school system, which then restricted education for blacks beginning in 1867 when Democrats regained control of the city. Establishing an unequal system that prepared white students for citizenship while using education to reinforce black subjugation, Baltimore's postwar school system exposed the contradictions of race, education, and republicanism in an age when African Americans struggled to realize the ostensible freedoms gained by emancipation.[2]
Higher culture
Baltimore is the site of the Johns Hopkins University (1876), a premier research institution best known for its medical school. Other notable schools are the College of Notre Dame of Maryland (1873), Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (formerly the Peabody Conservatory of Music; founded 1857), and Goucher College (1885) in suburban Towson. Much of the work of higher education is done by the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the University of Maryland, and Towson State University. The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Peale Museum, and the Walters Art Gallery have notable collections of art, and the B & O Railroad Museum houses an impressive collection of railroad memorabilia. The Morris Mechanic Theater, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and Fort McHenry (its successful defense against the British in 1814, inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner") are other major attractions. Nearby Pimlico Race Track is the site of the Preakness Stakes, a major event in horse racing. Druid Hill Park contains the city zoo and a natural history museum. The U.S.S. Constellation, launched in Baltimore in 1797 and today the oldest U.S. warship afloat, is a major tourist attraction in the harbor.
Religion
Baltimore has long been a major center of the Catholic Church. In 1806-21 Catholics constructed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based on a neoclassical design by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. A $34-million restoration was based on Latrobe's original plans and was completed in 2006.
Scandals
Mayor Sheila Dixon, a Democrat, was forced to resign in 2010 as part of a plea bargain; already convicted of a misdemeanor for stealing donated gift cards intended for poor children, she was facing yet another trial on perjury charges.
Famous sons and daughters
- Spiro Agnew, Republican who was Baltimore's county executive, and vice president under Richard Nixon (1969-73), when he was forced to resign because he was still taking bribes from Baltimore clients.
- David Hasselhoff
- Edgar Allan Poe (born 1809 in Boston) died and was buried in Baltimore in 1849.
See also
Further reading
- Rockman, Seth. Scraping By: Wage Labor, Slavery, and Survival in Early Baltimore (2009), 368 pp. social history online review
