Across America’s 250-year history, Prince George’s has transformed from the Maryland county with the largest population of enslaved Africans to one of the nation’s wealthiest enclaves of Black people and more than two dozen municipalities.
Prince George’s County sits at the nexus of early colonial American history, the tragic legacy of chattel slavery, and the development of groundbreaking African American communities including North Brentwood and Glenarden.
The late Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. was a student of history who relished in the diverse stories that have contributed to Maryland’s mosaic.
“Where I come from in Southern Maryland, it’s Native American history, it’s colonial history, African American history: all right there,” said Miller in a 2019 interview with PG Suite. “There’s so much history there, whether it’s George Washington visiting or what have you.”
The first telegraph line was constructed in Prince George’s by inventor Samuel Morse, and the ship bearing Francis Scott Key as he wrote the Star-Spangled Banner departed from a port in the county. Key himself served as an aide during the Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812.
Many people like Lillie Thompson Martin, the former five-term mayor of the historic town of Fairmount Heights, hold strong pride in the region’s Black history.
“I would like the world to know that not only is Fairmount Heights one of the three original African American communities in Maryland,” she told The Informer, “but some of the architects of Black history settled right in our historic town and pooled their resources to build up the infrastructure starting with our first town hall on 60th Place.”
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said he is proud of America’s unique history while also honest about past and ongoing cruelties.
“America’s 250th anniversary is an amazing time to celebrate our county’s rich and diverse history. We’ve come a long way, but still have a lot of work to do to reach a more perfect union. Our country brings what’s best of the world together for great human achievement. But at times we display some of the worst in human cruelty, especially as shown by this administration,” Ivey told The Informer. “I hope our next 250 years marks more milestones of our collective efforts to improve our world. My hope for our folks in the DMV is for time with family, friends, and loved ones in peace and prosperity.”
