Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial

The Chesapeake Bay region was a center of trade, commerce and government during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As such, it became a target of British military strategy during the War of 1812.

Prior to the British blockades of 1813, the Chesapeake region played an important role in international trade, shipbuilding and maritime-related commerce. In addition, the excellent soil, favorable climate and extensive navigable waters were the foundation of an agricultural and slave economy based on tobacco. The level of commerce and development along the Patuxent made the river a primary target of the British invasion.

Shipbuilding, maritime-related commerce and trade contributed to the growth of such hubs as Baltimore, a major deep-water port. Free blacks established themselves in the Baltimore area and enslaved Africans also were brought there, often in exchange for tobacco. With a growing population and the second largest number of blacks in the country, Maryland found itself torn between the slave-based economy and the free states to the north.

The growing city of Baltimore also developed an international reputation as a nest of pirates. These pirates were perfectly legal: they operated privateers, private vessels licensed to attack enemy ships. Many privateers were built in Baltimore shipyards and, because of their significant presence; the British viewed them -- and the city -- as a military threat.

The Chesapeake region was well established as the political and governmental center of the country. English settlers in the region exercised an unusual amount of political power before and after the Revolution. The region was selected for the nation's capital, which was relocated to Washington, DC in 1800. The Chesapeake region was viewed by the British as the central hub of decision-making, political power and belligerence.

From the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, Northeast Region, March 2004.