The “Jew Bill” is passed by the Maryland General Assembly, shepherded through the legislative process by a Christian, Thomas Kennedy of Hagerstown. Kennedy promotes this bill for several years before its passage as the first recognition of Jewish rights in the U.S.
It gives Jewish men all the rights of citizenship equal to Christians and quickly results in two Jewish businessmen, Jacob I. Cohen, Jr. and Solomon Etting, being elected to the Baltimore City Council.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad begins with a cornerstone in Baltimore and an initial trip to Ellicott City in 1827. The train line crosses the Thomas Viaduct, the first large arched and curved stone bridge.
Thurgood Marshall, Maryland’s most famous lawyer, wins Brown vs. Board of Education case, desegregating public schools. Appointed by President Lyndon Johnson as the first African American to the Supreme Court in 1976, Marshall serves 24 years.
John O’Donnell brings the first Asian immigrants to the US in 1785 as sailors on his ship that carries a cargo of Chinese goods. His statue in O’Donnell Square has been recently removed.
We acknowledge the enduring presence of many American Indian tribes who once lived in Maryland and who now, having lost their lands, live in a diaspora. Read more.
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