March 28, 2024

Hoyer: May Maryland History Guide Us Forward

Posted for Steny H. Hoyer, US Congressman
PAX II
Courtesy Historic St. Mary's City

Courtesy Historic St. Mary’s City

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer harkened to the tolerance and peace with which Maryland began 380 years ago during his remarks at the Maryland Day celebration at Historic St. Mary’s City.

Maryland Day is observed on March 25 and commemorates the landing of the first European settlers on Maryland soil.

Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“I am so glad to join you to celebrate the 380th anniversary of the first landing in Maryland. Just as we gather today, the first Europeans to settle in what is now Maryland set foot here in 1634 and beheld the land that would soon welcome thousands of refugees seeking religious freedom and a better life.

“They also set their eyes upon their new neighbors, the Piscataway Indians who had lived here for centuries. As the native people observed these newcomers, they could have reacted with fear and violence. And the Europeans could have done the same.

“But, true to what Maryland promised to become in the decades that followed, the two groups met in peace and forged bonds of cooperation that helped shape Maryland’s path forward.

“The foundation of tolerance that its early settlers so desperately sought in their new colony was laid on that day in that first encounter.  While we cannot gloss over the bitter periods that followed, and the injustices done to the native peoples of our region and those brought here as slaves, let us remember and celebrate the moments in our history when cooperation and respect prevailed, not bigotry and fear.

“That is why our pantheon of Maryland heroes today elevates individuals like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, Upton Sinclair, and Francis Scott Key.

“There are parts of our history we must remember and teach – lessons about a world we’ve put behind us. But Maryland Day is a chance to remember and teach those parts that ours and future generations will always be proud of.  And we have much reason to celebrate our state – one enriched by a diverse heritage and a long tradition of service and contributions to our country and the world.

“And it all began here, where, in their first moments together, the first Marylanders set aside the perils of the unknown and uncertain and instead embraced fraternity and opportunity.  May that moment continue to guide us forward into the future.”

 

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