Baltimore City is unique in the U.S. at 1850

Baltimore, with the largest free black population in the country and immigrants arriving in large numbers, demonstrates a unique urban social mix the U.S.
Based on the 1850 census, Baltimore is a thriving port city of 169,054. It has strong local and international shipping, it the center of a regional transportation network and has a growing industrial base with a large working class. It is home to 20,000 German-born immigrants, an influx of Irish that will grow to 70,000 by 1860 who are fleeing the potato famine and a small but growing Jewish community, mostly German. All are seeking jobs and opportunity. The City reflects the agricultural roots of the South but has a decidedly urban social dynamism.
The 25,442 free Blacks live side by side with 2,945 enslaved Blacks in a fluid environment of ambition, creating new social networks and, for some, the opportunity to escape north.
The city has a reputation as “Mobtown” with gangs regularly bringing violence to the streets, especially during elections. Working class whites fear a loss of opportunity to new immigrants. The political climate fosters the growing national Know Nothing movement, offering fertile ground for its anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant platforms. Baltimore becomes the urban epitome of the opportunities and tensions in a border state.

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Baltimore City Historical Society, Baltimore at 50