Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial

Why is Maryland celebrating the War of 1812 Bicentennial?
No place in the United States is better prepared, or has a better claim, to serving as a portal to the understanding of the significance of the War of 1812. Maryland’s rich War of 1812 history comprises of over 300 related resources, including the Star-Spangled Banner and our National Anthem! Learn more about the War of 1812 in Maryland on our Star-Spangled History page.

By commemorating the bicentennial, Maryland can enjoy an elevated profile among statewide, national, and international audiences. Additionally, the Bicentennial has the potential to give Marylanders a renewed sense of pride in the state’s important contributions to the nation’s heritage; protect and support our War of 1812-related natural and cultural resources; educate using a relevant and inspiring curriculum; and stimulate community revitalization and tourism.

The bicentennial of the War of 1812 can be seen as an one-time chance to elevate Maryland globally as a premier location to live, work and visit, and to increase economic opportunities for Marylanders.

When does the commemoration start?
The official kick off for the state’s bicentennial events will be Star-Spangled Sailabration from June 13 - 19, 2012, which will encompass the bicentennial of declaration of war on Great Britain (June 18, 1812) and Flag Day (June 14).

While events start in 2012, the War of 1812 was a three-year war. In fact, Maryland’s involvement in the War began in 1813 when the British terrorized towns along the Chesapeake. In the summer of 1814, the Battle(s) of St. Leonard Creek, Battle of Bladensburg, Battle of North Point, and the Battle of Baltimore took place. Therefore, bicentennial activities will continue through 2014.

What is being planned to mark the occasion?
Many bicentennial activities and programs are being planned by the Maryland’s Commission and local partners across the state - check back to the website soon for more information. In the meantime, there are already several War of 1812 commemoration events happening around the state - visit the Things to Do page.

What will the Commission do?
The Star-Spangled 200: A National Bicentennial in Maryland is the detailed Plan of Action that outlines the activities for the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

In summary, the commission is tasked with:

providing coordination among public and private interpretive institutions, sites, museums, and other organizations to plan and implement an appropriate series of events and activities to commemorate the bicentennial for residents and visitors statewide;
ensuring that activities or projects assisted by the Commission result in products that will have lasting value and public benefit beyond the bicentennial, especially leading to the protection of historical and cultural resources associated with the War of 1812;
promoting the identification and documentation of historic and cultural resources, including landscapes, sites, buildings, structures, objects, and archives related to the War of 1812, and encourage their preservation;
assisting with efforts to protect, improve, and develop existing educational and interpretive institutions, sites, and museums related to the War of 1812 for educational, recreational, and tourism purposes;
ensuring the development of a model social studies curriculum specifically on the War of 1812, its impact on Maryland and the diverse people who fought, supported, and participated in the defense of the State and nation;
providing leadership for, and coordinate Maryland’s efforts with other states and international entities engaged in activities related to the commemoration of the War of 1812, including but not limited to the federal Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission;
promoting Maryland’s War of 1812 bicentennial celebration nationally and internationally; and
securing support and financial resources.

I would like to get the new license plate. How do I do that?
Visit our Maryland's License Plate webpage about the new plate and how to get one.

I’m a teacher and I want my kids to learn about the War of 1812. Do you have teaching materials or suggestions for where to find materials?
We do! Visit our For Teachers webpage for links to online lesson plans.

I think I have relatives who fought in the War of 1812. Where can I find information?
Visit our Genealogy page for a list of organizations.

Where can I find more information about the war?
Visit our Star-Spangled History pages which give an overview to the War of 1812 and the 1814 Chesapeake Campaign. The Resources page also has links to War of 1812 information. You can also visit one of the many War of 1812 related sites in Maryland!

Why did the British come to the Chesapeake during the War of 1812?
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.

Why was Francis Scott Key in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore?
After the British captured and burned Washington, DC, they returned to their boats on the Patuxent River. During their retreat, they passed through Upper Marlboro, where a few British stragglers and one deserter began plundering nearby farms. Dr. William Beanes and other American civilians seized six or seven of the stragglers and confined them to a local jail. When one escaped and informed his superiors of the arrest, a contingent of British marines returned to Upper Marlboro and arrested Beanes and the others, and held them in exchange for the release of the British prisoners. The Americans were subsequently released except Beanes, who was considered the instigator of the incident. In violation of the existing rules of war, he was placed in confinement aboard HMS Tonnant.

Francis Scott Key, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, was urged to seek Beanes' release, as his detainment was a violation of the existing rules of war. Key and John Stuart Skinner, the U.S. Agent for Exchange of Prisoners, set sail on a truce ship to meet the British fleet, and boarded HMS Tonnant under a flag of truce. They showed the British officials the letters from wounded British soldiers left behind after the Battle of Bladensburg, giving testimony to the kindness and treatment given them by U.S. hands. This so moved British General Ross, who had ordered the arrest of Beanes, that he suggested to Cochrane that Beanes be released after the planned attack on Baltimore.

Beanes, Key, and Skinner had witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry from onboard the truce vessel. Key was so moved by the scene of the battle that he composed a poem that eventually became the National Anthem. Key chose the tune, "To Anacreon in Heaven" by John Stafford Smith, because it was a popular American and British melody and he had previously adapted it to another poem.

Key, Beanes, and the other Americans were released as the British retreated, and that night Key worked on his poem. Handbills of the poem were quickly printed and copies distributed to every man who was at Fort McHenry during the bombardment. Key's poem was first printed on September 20, 1814, in the Baltimore Patriot and Advertiser under the title "Denfence of Fort M'Henry." By the end of the year, the poem and the tune were printed across the country as a reminder of the American victory. In 1931, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation that made "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official National Anthem.

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.