Teacher Resources
Maryland's location between the Northern and Southern colonies made it a crucial logistical hub — and its planter elite chose revolution despite having far more to lose than most.
The Context
Annapolis was home to one of the wealthiest planter classes in British America — men who had much to lose and chose revolution anyway. Baltimore grew rapidly during the war as a supply and manufacturing center, its iron industry feeding the Continental Army's insatiable appetite.
Maryland's "Line" — its Continental regiments — was considered among the finest in the army, and its soldiers were present at some of the war's most desperate moments. Maryland's state constitution of 1776 became a model for republican government, and its location between North and South made it indispensable to the war's logistics. Teaching Maryland means teaching how wealth, geography, and principle combined to make a revolution.
Recommended Sequence
Annapolis → Baltimore
3–4 class periods
Annapolis was the colonial capital — home to one of the wealthiest planter classes in British America, men who had much to lose and chose revolution anyway. Baltimore grew explosively during the war as a supply and manufacturing center. Students examine how class, geography, and economic interest shaped who supported the Revolution and why.
Source Standards
Every source in our Maryland materials is evaluated using a three-tier credibility system. Tier 1 includes primary documents, National Park Service materials, and peer-reviewed scholarship. Teacher narratives contextualize sources — they don't replace them.