2298 UNITED STATES (Maryland) - Maryland map

Located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, and bordered by Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and Delaware, Maryland is considered to be the birthplace of religious freedom in America, when it was formed in the early 17th century as an intended refuge for persecuted Catholics from England by George Calvert. It is one of the smallest states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated states with nearly 6 million residents.
 

It has a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, services, and biotechnology, and also the highest median household income of any state. The state is officially claimed to be named after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England, by George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore, prior to his death in 1632. The state's largest city is Baltimore (founded in 1729), and its capital is Annapolis, which served as the seat of the Continental Congress in 1783-1784.

Maryland possesses a variety of topography within its borders, contributing to its nickname America in Miniature. It ranges from sandy dunes dotted with seagrass in the east, to low marshlands teeming with wildlife and large bald cypress near the Chesapeake Bay, to gently rolling hills of oak forests in the Piedmont Region, and pine groves in the mountains to the west. Most of the state's waterways are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. There are no natural lakes, though there are numerous natural ponds.

The recorded history of Maryland dates back to when Europeans began exploring the area, starting with John Cabot in 1498. The first European settlements were made in 1634, when the English arrived in significant numbers and created a permanent colony. Maryland was notable for having been established with religious freedom for Catholics. Its economy was based on tobacco as a commodity crop, cultivated primarily by African slave labor.

In 1776, during the American Revolution, Maryland became a state in the United States, and was the seventh state to ratify the constitution. After the war, numerous planters freed their slaves as the economy changed. Baltimore grew to become one of the largest cities on the eastern seaboard, and a major economic force in the country. Although Maryland was still a slave state in 1860, by that time nearly half the African American population was already free, so during the Civil War it remained in the Union.

As the industrial revolution swept across the northeast and midwestern United States, Baltimore continued to expand and prosper. Cumberland was Maryland's second-largest city in the 19th century, with ample nearby supplies of coal, iron ore and timber. The nation's entry into WWI in 1917 brought changes to Maryland. New military bases were established, the Edgewood Arsenal was founded in 1918, and other existing facilities were greatly expanded. During WWII, Baltimore was a major war production center.

About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Apples, about which I wrote here.  The following two, depicting Tito Puente (1923-2000) and Celia Cruz (1925-2003), are part of the series Latin Music Legends, about which I wrote here.

References
Maryland - Wikipedia

Sender: Denise 
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 24.10.2014