Charm City or Mobtown? People from Baltimore glory in its eccentric charm, small-town character, and North-cum-South culture. But for much of the nineteenth century, violence and disorder plagued the city. More recently, the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in police custody has prompted Baltimoreans-and the entire nation-to focus critically on the rich and tangled narrative of black-white relations in Baltimore, where slavery once existed alongside the largest community of free blacks in the United States. Matthew A. Crenson, a distinguished political scientist and Baltimore native, examines the role of politics and race throughout Baltimore's history. From its founding in 1729 up through the recent past, Crenson follows Baltimore's political evolution from an empty expanse of marsh and hills to a complicated city with distinct ways of doing business. Revealing how residents at large engage (and disengage) with one another across an expansive agenda of issues and conflicts, Crenson shows how politics helped form this complex city's personality. Crenson provocatively argues that Baltimore's many quirks are likely symptoms of urban underdevelopment. The city's longtime domination by the general assembly-and the corresponding weakness of its municipal authority-forced residents to adopt the private and extra-governmental institutions that shaped early Baltimore. On the one hand, Baltimore was resolutely parochial, split by curious political quarrels over issues as minor as loose pigs. On the other, it was keenly attuned to national politics: during the Revolution, for instance, Baltimoreans were known for their comparative radicalism. Crenson describes how, as Baltimore and the nation grew, whites competed with blacks, slave and free, for menial and low-skill work. He also explores how the urban elite thrived by avoiding, wherever possible, questions of slavery vs. freedom-just as, long after the Civil War and emancipation, wealthier Baltimoreans preferred to sidestep racial controversy. Peering into the city's 300-odd neighborhoods, this fascinating account holds up a mirror to Baltimore, asking whites in particular to re-examine the past and accept due responsibility for future racial progress.
Matthew A. Crenson is professor emeritus of political science at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of Neighborhood Politics and the coauthor of Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined Its Citizens and Privatized Its Public.
Prologue Part I 1. Settling 2. Government in the Streets 3. Revolution Part II 4. Baltimore at War 5. From Town to City 6. "Calamities Peculiarly Incident to Large Cities" Part III 7. Trial by Combat 8. Baltimore Triumphant 9. Public Debt and Internal Improvements Part IV 10. Working on the Railroad 11. Corporate Challenge to Equality and an Educational Response 12. Road Hogs 13. Policing the Disorderly City Part V 14. Racial Borders 15. Between Mobs and Corporations 16. Pigs and Politicians 17. Know-Nothings Part VI 18. American Party Reckoning 19. Baltimore in the Divided Nation 20. City at War 21. Democratic Resurrection Part VII 22. Ex-Slaves, Ex-Confederates, and the New Regime 23. The Ring 24. Fin de Siecle 25. Political Economy Part VIII 26. Fire, Smoke, and Segregation 27. Metropolitan Morality 28. World War and Municipal Conquest 29. Civil Service and Prohibition Part IX 30. Boom to Bust 31. Relief, Repeal, New Deal 32. Democratic Harmony, RepublicanVictory 33. D'Alesandro and His Democrats Part X 34. I'm All Right, Jack 35. Slow-Motion Race Riot 36. Racial Breakdown Part XI 37. Baltimore's Best 38. Driving the City 39. Turning Point Afterword Acknowledgments Appendix A Appendix B Notes Bibliographic Essay Index
A sweeping history of Baltimore written by a true master of this subject. A political scientist by training with considerable skill as a writer and historian, Crenson is also a long-time observer and commentator on the Baltimore scene. In addition to its academic virtues, this gripping book would make a wonderful gift for readers in Baltimore or with a Baltimore attachment. -- Edward D. Berkowitz, George Washington University, author of Something Happened: A Political and Cultural Overview of the Seventies
This is a magnificent study, sweeping in scope and rich in detail . . . There is much to learn from the Baltimore experience, and this gracefully written volume tells the tale well. Highly recommended. -Choice Matthew A. Crenson takes readers on an exhilarating ride through more than two centuries of American history. With lucid prose, rapid pacing, and a parade of dramatic incidents, he addresses the critical issues that have confounded citizens and historians since the nation's founding. -Journal of American History A comprehensive look at the manifold forces that influenced and impeded city government for more than 300 years. Crenson also possesses a keen eye-and nose-for the two-way traffic between politics and the body politic. He scrapes away charm (and myth) to expose less savory features of civic history. -Johns Hopkins University Arts & Sciences Magazine
