A final thank you, Maryland!
Our 2021 50K Race to Liberty is wrapping up in Central Maryland’s Baltimore, Montgomery, Prince George, Howard, and Harford Counties. Since August, over 2,700 Marylanders have stepped up and signed up with the Convention of States cause - over 6,000 Marylanders signed the petition in 2021 bringing us to 27,697 signers.
The Potomac & Patapsco Rivers run through Central Maryland. Captain John Smith was the first European to explore the river noting it on his 1612 map as the Bolus River. The "Red River," was named after the clay color, and is considered the "old Bolus", as other branches were also labeled Bolus on maps.
The Patapsco River is also referred to as The River of History as it is regarded as the center of Maryland’s Industrial Revolution beginning in the 1770s. Milling and manufacturing operations abounded along the river throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, generally relying on water power generated by multiple small dams, like the Liberty Dam in the Patapsco Valley State Park.
The mouth of the Patapsco River forms Baltimore Harbor. The Harbor was essential to naval superiority for the colonies during the Revolutionary War. During the war, Baltimore’s industry and population grew such that it went from being designated a “town” in 1730 to a “city” in 1797. The Baltimore Harbor is the site of the Battle of Baltimore at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. This is where Francis Scott Key, while aboard a British ship, wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," a poem later set to music as the national anthem of the United States.
Montgomery County is named after Richard Montgomery who arrived in the colonies from Ireland as a British soldier, then joined the Continental Army, rising to the rank of Major General. He died in the 1775 Battle of Quebec. Thomas Sprigg Wootton, the first speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, introduced the legislation creating Montgomery County by dividing Frederick County into three counties: Montgomery, Washington, and Frederick.
Three Quaker brothers – Andrew, John, and Joseph Ellicott – settled the area of Elkridge as wheat farmers.They were instrumental in transitioning Maryland’s farming industry from tobacco to wheat. In 1791, Andrew Ellicott led the survey team outlining the boundaries of the new nation’s capital of Washington. He was assisted by Benjamin Banneker, an African American scientist and family friend.
Most notable is General Mordecai Gist. As a young man he recruited and funded a regiment of Baltimore Independent Cadets in 1774. He led Maryland troops at the Battles of Long Island, Brandywine, Monmouth, and Yorktown with distinction. Gist led the Maryland 400 as a Major in the famous Battle of Brooklyn. His leadership is recognized as the reason Maryland units were universally successful and notoriously valiant in battle. General Gist settled in Charleston, South Carolina after the war. He named his two sons Independent and States.
Marylanders can yet again play an extraordinary role in repairing our nation by standing up to a tyrannical government that breaks its promises to the people. Inspired by General Gist, we can seize the concept of INDEPENDENT STATES. This is the key to the Article V Convention of States.
Across Maryland, citizens are rejecting state sponsored racism in their schools and repudiating federal overreach in a post-pandemic America.
If you’re concerned for the future of our country--under a federal and state government that's increasingly bloated, corrupt, reckless, and invasive--there is a constitutional option. We can call a Convention of States to bring power back to the states and the people, where it belongs.
Our Convention of States Maryland journey began with 1 signature in September 2014. We launched our Race to Liberty with 25,000 signatures in July 2021. We will continue our Race across the State of Maryland through 2022 and beyond, gathering signatures with an eye on 50,000 (and then some!)
Be 1 of the first 50,000 Marylanders to join our Race to Liberty by signing the petition at Convention of States Action today and pass this along to your friends and family.
