N 



act helped put the city under martial law for the re- 

 mainder of the war. Despite a definite Southern sym- 

 pathy, there was great regret at the dissolution of the 

 Union when the Confederacy was created. 



In 1864, as the end of the Civil War drew near, 

 Marylanders adopted a third constitution, one result of 

 which was emancipation of the Negro as proclaimed by 

 an Act of the Maryland Legislature. This initially 

 brought devastating effects upon the tobacco economy. 

 Negroes left work in large numbers or refused to work, 

 causing many plantations to stop operation. Many of 

 the larger farms were forced to sell acreage to smaller 

 farms, but planters still found it difficult to harvest a 

 crop with the availability of white and black wage labor 

 only. A noticeable lethargy and dispiritedness fell over 

 the land, handicapping the efforts of Southern Mary- 

 land for many years to come. But even with recurring 

 economic depression, Maryland was spared the tre- 

 mendous inconveniences and burdens created by the 

 post-war reconstruction period. 



ew modes of transportation 



When Maryland's fourth and present constitution was 

 established in 1867, transportation dominated the po- 

 litical arena. Upon completion of the Pope's Creek 

 Railroad in 1873, communication and travel systems 

 greatly improved. Daily freight, mail and passenger 

 service was established between Baltimore and Wash- 

 ington and Southern Maryland. In the late 1870's, with 

 good transportation to and from the area, the farmers 

 attempted to attract European immigrants to the South- 



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