Making and Learning Environmental History in Maryland

What is environmental history, and why does it matter in Maryland? Join this virtual discussion with Sophie Hess, MCHC’s 2022-23 Lord Baltimore Research Fellow and University of Maryland History PhD candidate, to learn how humans have both exploited the environment and used it to survive and resist over the course of this land’s long history. From plantation enslavement and freedom-seeking, to labor organizing within iron and steel manufacturing, to Indigenous claims for land and water rights, Hess draws the connections between Maryland’s ecological past and the present-day struggles for justice in surrounding communities. Martina Kado, MCHC Director of Publications & Interim Library Director, joins Hess in discussion.

Image: Panoramic view of the scenery on the Patapsco River, E. Sachse & Co., c.1860. Maryland Center for History and Culture,1860. V50