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MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

CAPITAL

[photo, State House (from Maryland Ave.), Annapolis, Maryland] ANNAPOLIS
Annapolis is the State capital of Maryland. Toward the end of the Revolutionary War, the city also served as capital to the newly forming American nation when the Continental Congress met in Annapolis from November 26, 1783 to June 3, 1784. Here, on January 14, 1784, the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, was ratified by Congress.

In September 1786, the Annapolis Convention met to discuss revisions to the Articles of Confederation. The Convention's call for a further meeting led to the assembling of delegates at Philadelphia the following year to draft the U.S. Constitution.

On November 27, 2007, the Middle East Peace Conference was held at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. From June 17-18, 2008, the U.S. Naval Academy again hosted an international conference, the U.S. - China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) IV.

State House (from Maryland Ave.), Annapolis, Maryland, 1998. Photo by James Hefelfinger (Hefelfinger Collection, MSA SC 1885-763-2, Maryland State Archives).

[photo, McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland] Located on the Severn River in Anne Arundel County, Annapolis is not only the center of Maryland government but also home to the U.S. Naval Academy, and St. John's College whose curriculum is based upon the study of the classics.

From the founding of Maryland in 1634, however, St. Mary's City was the first seat of Maryland's colonial government, not Annapolis. (In southern Maryland, Historic St. Mary's City can be visited today in St. Mary's County.) Nonetheless, in 1694, the General Assembly designated Anne Arundel Town as the new capital and, in February 1694/5, the government moved there.

McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, April 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Naval Academy grounds, Annapolis, Maryland] After Queen Mary's death in December 1694, Anne Arundel Town was renamed Annapolis for her sister, the heiress apparent, Princess Anne. As Queen Anne (1665-1714) of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Anne ascended the throne in 1702. In 1707, she became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, which she ruled until her death.

In the name of Queen Anne, Royal Governor John Seymour granted to the City of Annapolis a municipal charter on November 22, 1708. Annapolis will celebrate its three centuries of history in 2008.

U.S. Naval Academy grounds, Annapolis, Maryland, May 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Map of Government Buildings in Central Annapolis
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