Naturally, in this era of political-correctness-motivated war against everything to do with the Confederacy, various people are demanding that Maryland replace its state song, “Maryland, My Maryland.” The song was written by James Ryder Randall in 1861 in response to riots that took place as Union soldiers passed through Baltimore on their way to Washington, D.C. The lyrics criticize Abraham Lincoln and the North and express support for secession. It became the state song in 1939, but starting in 1974 there have been 9 unsuccessful attempts to repeal it.
The full lyrics are as follows:
The despot’s heel is on thy shore,
Maryland!
His torch is at thy temple door,
Maryland!
Avenge the patriotic gore
That flecked the streets of Baltimore,
And be the battle queen of yore,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Hark to an exiled son’s appeal,
Maryland!
My mother State! to thee I kneel,
Maryland!
For life and death, for woe and weal,
Thy peerless chivalry reveal,
And gird thy beauteous limbs with steel,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Thou wilt not cower in the dust,
Maryland!
Thy beaming sword shall never rust,
Maryland!
Remember Carroll’s sacred trust,
Remember Howard’s warlike thrust,—
And all thy slumberers with the just,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Come! ’tis the red dawn of the day,
Maryland!
Come with thy panoplied array,
Maryland!
With Ringgold’s spirit for the fray,
With Watson’s blood at Monterey,
With fearless Lowe and dashing May,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Come! for thy shield is bright and strong,
Maryland!
Come! for thy dalliance does thee wrong,
Maryland!
Come to thine own anointed throng,
Stalking with Liberty along,
And sing thy dauntless slogan song,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Dear Mother! burst the tyrant’s chain,
Maryland!
Virginia should not call in vain,
Maryland!
She meets her sisters on the plain—
“Sic semper!” ’tis the proud refrain
That baffles minions back amain,
Maryland! My Maryland!
I see the blush upon thy cheek,
Maryland!
For thou wast ever bravely meek,
Maryland!
But lo! there surges forth a shriek,
From hill to hill, from creek to creek—
Potomac calls to Chesapeake,
Maryland! My Maryland!
Thou wilt not yield the Vandal toll,
Maryland!
Thou wilt not crook to his control,
Maryland!
Better the fire upon thee roll,
Better the blade, the shot, the bowl,
Than crucifixion of the soul,
Maryland! My Maryland!
I hear the distant thunder-hum,
Maryland!
The Old Line’s bugle, fife, and drum,
Maryland!
She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb—
Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum!
She breathes! she burns! she’ll come! she’ll come!
Maryland! My Maryland!
A variety of politicians, organizations, and media have criticized “Maryland, My Maryland.” To give just a few examples: House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones called on her colleagues to repeal the song, calling it “extremely offensive.” State Senator Cheryl Kagan expressed agreement, saying, “it’s time to get rid of a song that calls Abraham Lincoln a tyrant and a despot.” The Montgomery County Council introduced a resolution urging the song to be changed, and council member Nancy Navarro tweeted, “We should not cling to the symbols of traitors who fought specifically to preserve the institution of slavery.” Dana Vickers Shelley, executive director of the ACLU of Maryland, said: “A song that reflects the values of the Confederacy, with its unrepentant white supremacy and total disregard for the humanity of Black people, has no place in our Maryland.” In an editorial, the Baltimore Sun demanded that Governor Larry Hogan institute an immediate moratorium on public performances of the song, calling it a “wholly inappropriate endorsement of slavery and oppression,” an “atrocity,” a “love letter to secessionists,” and a “sop to white supremacists who nurse The Lost Cause view of the Confederacy.” And a letter to the editor in the Baltimore Sun describes the Confederate perspective as “limited and discredited.” (How can an ideology or moral belief be discredited?)
I strongly disagree with all of these sentiments. I like the song. The lyrics are essentially about liberty. They criticize tyranny and eloquently call on people to defend their homeland and fight back against an overreaching government. These are values that all Americans should support. Although the song was written in response to a specific historical event and is old-fashioned in word choice and tone, the overall message is highly relevant today. You don’t need to support the Confederacy in order to appreciate the importance of defending rights and freedoms. It says a lot about today’s political correctness movement that a song about fighting against tyranny is described as racist, offensive, inappropriate, and even an endorsement of oppression, the exact opposite of what it actually is. This movement seems to have no values other than conformity, safety, and obedience to authority. It is disturbing that to so many Americans today, liberty and freedom are not valued.
Paul C. Gramling Jr., commander in chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, had it right when he said: “My personal stance is that I don’t think the song should be changed. This madness of people being offended by everything around them has got to stop. Liberals have too much time on their hands. I wish they would get a life and just leave history alone.”
Ironically, an article in the Baltimore Sun explains that the most recent attempts to repeal “Maryland, My Maryland” are likely to succeed because of “a growing attitude of inclusiveness.” As an example of this so-called inclusiveness, the paper cites the recent removal of a plaque honoring both Union and Confederate soldiers from the State House. This is, of course, the exact opposite of inclusiveness. Instead of a society in which both sides of a war are honored and a variety of cultures and viewpoints are celebrated, we have become a society in which anything that does not comply with the prevailing social and political norms is destroyed and obliterated.