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African Americans in Maryland
Slavery and Freedom Prior to the Civil War
Throughout Maryland, enslaved African Americans worked in the fields cultivating tobacco, wheat, and other crops. They served in the households of white masters and labored in urban trades, such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and craft work.
Prior to the Civil War, Maryland was home to the largest population of free African Americans in any slave state in the United States. Living predominately in urban centers, free African Americans took on roles in industry, agriculture, craft, and the arts while navigating a complex and evolving legal status that often placed them at risk. |