1860s Civil War Maryland Patriotic Card – “Know Their Rights”

SKU
USA4884-K
In stock
$45.00

Civil War–era patriotic card featuring the bold slogan “MARYLANDERS Know their Rights, and will Maintain them!” printed in red beneath a finely engraved allegorical vignette. At center appears the Maryland state coat of arms, surmounted by a spread-winged eagle. Flanking the shield are two classical figures: at left, a female figure holding a shovel or spade, commonly interpreted as symbolizing labor, self-reliance, and the building or defense of the state; at right, a seated male figure holding an implement or staff, suggestive of vigilance and civic duty.

Along the base of the design is a banner bearing a form of Maryland’s Latin state motto, “Crescite et multiplicamini” (“Increase and multiply”), further anchoring the piece as a strongly Maryland-identified expression of political sentiment. Produced in business-card format, pieces such as this were carried or distributed as pocket-sized declarations of loyalty, principle, and regional pride during the Civil War era. Original. 

An evocative and visually striking example of Maryland-related Civil War patriotic ephemera.

Historical Notes

Maryland occupied a uniquely tense position during the Civil War as a border state that remained in the Union while containing significant Southern and states’ rights sympathies. Propaganda from the region often avoided overt calls for secession, instead employing coded language centered on constitutional rights, sovereignty, and state identity. The emphasis here on Maryland alone—paired with the absence of overt Union symbolism and the strong rights-based slogan—places this card within that tradition of Southern-leaning, Confederate-sympathetic states’ rights expression common in portions of Maryland during the early war period.

Additional Information
More Information
Price$45.00
Conditionused
Product ConditionVery good
Size3.125" x 2"
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