The Governor’s cancellation of the Red Line reminded Baltimoreans of just how much control the state has over the city’s public transportation system. The city, for example, could levy property taxes, but for decades after it became a city, the state legislature decided what the tax rate would be.īaltimore can fix its own property tax rate today, but the city’s police department is still technically a state agency, as it has been since just before the Civil War. Even after it became a supposedly self-governing municipality in 1797, the city’s powers were limited by the state. It cast its shadow over Baltimore from the time it received its town charter in 1729. Do you think that’s still the case?īecause Baltimore was a late-blooming city, there was already an entrenched political establishment in Annapolis at the time of the town’s birth. You make the case that Annapolis, the state capital, long held political sway over Baltimore. Retracing the path by which we got here now seems even more vital than when I began. Of course, I could not have foreseen the death of Freddie Gray or the turmoil that would follow it. The Archives are essential for understanding the city’s political past, but only a few authors have relied on these records. One vital research source also became more accessible when the Baltimore City Archives relocated and reorganized in 2010. The second edition of urban geographer Sherry Olson’s book, Baltimore: The Building of an American City, appeared 20 years ago, and it concentrates on the physical development of Baltimore, not its political history. And it has been a long time since anyone told the city’s story.

Like many Baltimoreans, I was curious about the city’s many curiosities.

Matthew crenson baltimore