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The Chesapeake Bay was explored in 1609 by Captain John Smith. By the mid-seventeenth century the area now known as Maryland was organized as a colony. The region’s economy revolved around growing and exporting tobacco. Since tobacco was typically produced on large plantations that were virtually self-sustaining, this economic system did not require towns or infrastructure beyond the unimproved roadways needed to move the product from the plantation to the nearest shoreline for loading onboard waiting ships. The entire region was sparsely populated by affluent individuals who had been granted large tracts of land and received favorable dispensation from the colony’s proprietor, Lord Baltimore. Thus, as the American colonies became more prosperous, certain well placed individuals were poised to develop and exploit Maryland’s untapped resources.
Any accounting of the economic development of Maryland, and the sudden and explosive growth of the port of Baltimore, mentions......

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Approximate Word Count: 3270
Approximate Pages: 14 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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