The Great Seal of Maryland

"Maryland, My Maryland" is the official state song of Maryland. The song is set to the tune of "O Tannenbaum" and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall. While the words were penned in 1861 it was not until April 29, 1939 that the state's general assembly adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song[1]. State seal of Maryland. ... State seal of Maryland. ... Great Seal of Maryland, reverse Obverse side of the Great Seal of Maryland The Great Seal of Maryland is the official government emblem of the State of Maryland in the United States. ... Each state in the United States (except New Jersey) has a state song, selected by the state legislature as a symbol of the state. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,417 sq mi (32,160 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... O Tannenbaum, or, in its English version, O Christmas Tree is a Christmas carol of German origin. ... James Ryder Randall (born January 1, 1839 at Baltimore, Maryland, United States; died January 15, 1908 in Augusta, Georgia) was a journalist and poet. ... 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar) // January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. ...

Written originally as a poem, the song refers to Maryland's history and geography and specifically mentions several historical figures of importance to the state. It has been called America's "most martial poem". The Great Seal of Maryland. ...

The third verse of this song is sung annually at the Preakness Stakes by the United States Naval Academy chorus. The Preakness Stakes is a classic 1 3/16 mile (1. ... The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is in Annapolis, Maryland, near Washington D.C. The Academy often is referred to simply as Annapolis although naval officers normally refer to it in conversation...

Origin

The poem was a result of events at the beginning of the American Civil War. During the secession crisis, President Abraham Lincoln (referred to in the poem as "the despot" and "the tyrant") ordered federal troops to be brought to Washington, D.C. to protect the capital. Many of these troops were brought through Baltimore City, a major transportation hub. There was a lot of Confederate sympathy in Maryland at the time and riots ensued in April 1861. Several people were killed in the Baltimore riots, including a friend of James Ryder Randall. Randall, a native Marylander, was teaching in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana, at the time and, moved by the news of his friend's death, wrote the nine-stanza poem, "Maryland, My Maryland". The poem was a plea to his home state of Maryland to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. It was first published in the New Orleans Sunday Delta on 26 April 1861. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American politician elected from Illinois as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Federal District District of Columbia  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack Evans... REDIRECT Baltimore,_Maryland ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (traditional) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Republic President... Baltimore on April 19, 1861 The Baltimore riot of 1861 (also called the Pratt Street Riot and the Pratt Street Massacre) was an incident that took place on April 19, 1861 in Baltimore, Maryland between Confederate sympathizers and infantrymen of the United States Army. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city Baton Rouge [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... For other uses, see Secession (disambiguation). ... In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... Nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, NOLA (acronym for New Orleans, LA) Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area    - City  350. ...

The poem was quickly turned into a song by putting it to the tune "O Tannenbaum" (also known as "Lauriger Horatius") and became instantly popular in Maryland and throughout the South. It was sometimes called "the Marseillaise of the South." O Tannenbaum, or, in its English version, O Christmas Tree is a Christmas carol of German origin. ... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... La Marseillaise (IPA: ; in English The Song of Marseille) is the national anthem of France. ...

"Florida, My Florida" and "Michigan, My Michigan" are set to the same tune. Both of them were written after "Maryland, My Maryland". Whilst My Michigan is an official state song of the State of Michigan, a more popular song called Michigan, My Michigan is considered by many to be Michigans unofficial state song. ...

Melody

The melody was arranged as a march, with a second strain that is a variation on the "O Tannenbaum" theme, which is played after the Tannenbaum theme, then the two themes are played together to produce counterpoint. The march remains a popular instrumental standard with New Orleans traditional brass bands and traditional jazz bands. Many who know the tune in these contexts are unfamiliar with the lyrics. The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa is considered amongst the greatest marches ever written. ... In music, counterpoint is a texture involving the simultaneous sounding of separate melodies or lines against each other, as in polyphony. ... A brass band a musical group consisting mostly or entirely of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ... Dixieland or Dixie is a name for the south-eastern portion of the USA; see: U.S. Southern States, Dixie. ...

Lyrics

I

The despot's heel is on thy shore,

Maryland, my Maryland!

His torch is at thy temple door,

Maryland, My Maryland!

Avenge the patriotic gore

That flecked the streets of Baltimore,

And be the battle queen of yore,

Maryland! My Maryland!

II Baltimore on April 19, 1861 The Baltimore riot of 1861 (also called the Pratt Street Riot and the Pratt Street Massacre) was an incident that took place on April 19, 1861 in Baltimore, Maryland between Confederate sympathizers and infantrymen of the United States Army. ... REDIRECT Baltimore,_Maryland ...

Hark to an exiled son's appeal,

Maryland, my Maryland!

My mother State! to thee I kneel,

Maryland, my Maryland!

For life and death, for woe and weal,

Thy peerless chivalry reveal,

And gird they beauteous limbs with steel,

Maryland! My Maryland!

III

Thou wilt not cower in the dust,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Thy beaming sword shall never rust,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Remember Carroll's sacred trust,

Remember Howard's warlike thrust,-

And all thy slumberers with the just,

Maryland! My Maryland!

IV Charles Carroll (1737-1832) Charles Carroll of Carrollton (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832) was a lawyer and politician from Maryland who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and later a United States Senator. ... John Eager Howard (June 4, 1752 - October 12, 1827) was a American politician from Maryland. ...

Come! 'tis the red dawn of the day,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Come with thy panoplied array,

Maryland, my Maryland!

With Ringgold's spirit for the fray,

With Watson's blood at Monterey,

With fearless Lowe and dashing May,

Maryland! My Maryland!

V Major Samuel Ringgold (1796-1846) graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1818. ... Lieutenant Colonel William H. Watson (?-1846) commanded the Battalion of Baltimore and District of Columbia Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. ... The Battle of Monterrey (September 21–September 23, 1846) was an engagement in the Mexican-American War in which General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North managed to fight US troops to a standstill at the important fortress town of Monterrey. ...

Come! for thy shield is bright and strong,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Come! for thy dalliance does thee wrong,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Come to thine own anointed throng,

Stalking with Liberty along,

And chaunt thy dauntless slogan song,

Maryland! My Maryland!

VI

Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Virginia should not call in vain,

Maryland, my Maryland!

She meets her sisters on the plain-

"Sic semper!" 'tis the proud refrain

That baffles minions back amain,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Arise in majesty again,

Maryland! My Maryland!

VII Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Great Seal of Virginia with the state motto. ...

I see the blush upon thy cheek,

Maryland, my Maryland!

For thou wast ever bravely meek,

Maryland, my Maryland!

But lo! there surges forth a shriek,

From hill to hill, from creek to creek-

Potomac calls to Chesapeake,

Maryland! My Maryland!

VIII The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... The Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo The Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna River empties into it. ...

Thou wilt not yield the Vandal toll,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Thou wilt not crook to his control,

Maryland, my Maryland!

Better the fire upon thee roll, Better the blade, the shot, the bowl,

Than crucifixion of the soul,

Maryland! My Maryland!

IX

I hear the distant thunder-hum,

Maryland, my Maryland!

The Old Line's bugle, fife, and drum,

Maryland, my maryland!

She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb-

Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum!

She breathes! she burns! she'll come! she'll come!

Maryland! My Maryland!

The Maryland Line was a formation within the Continental Army, comprised of infantry regiments from the state of Maryland. ...

References

• Maryland State Archives (2004). Maryland State Song - "Maryland, My Maryland". Retrieved 27 Dec. 2004.
• The Morrison Foundation for Musical Research, Inc. (15 Jan. 2004). James Ryder Randall (1839 - 1908). Retrieved 27 Dec. 2004.