Mason-Dixon line

Literally, the Mason-Dixon Line (or "Mason and Dixon's Line") demarcated state boundaries between the Province of Pennsylvania, the Province of Maryland, Delaware Colony and parts of Colony and Old Dominion of Virginia in colonial North America and, thus, between their successor states in the United States.

Related Topics:
Province of Pennsylvania - Province of Maryland - Delaware Colony - Colony and Old Dominion of Virginia - Colonial - North America - United States

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Later, the line became the symbolic boundary between the U.S. Northern states and the U.S. Southern states, particularly with respect to slavery. Pennsylvania abolished slavery early while Delaware and Maryland remained slave states until the end of American Civil War.

Related Topics:
U.S. Northern states - U.S. Southern states - Slavery - Pennsylvania - Delaware - Maryland - Slave state - American Civil War

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Still today in the symbolic sense, the Mason-Dixon Line continues westward from Pennsylvania down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River, then crosses the Mississippi to place Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas south of the line. Debate respectfully proceeds as to whether Missouri and Oklahoma belong on the north or south side of the line. On the one hand, Missouri was a slave state; on the other hand, it's classified as part of the Midwest, not the south and remained in the Union during the Civil War. Oklahoma, by contrast, is in the South but it was formerly "Indian Territory" and did not become a state until 1907 ? so it is certainly Southern, but just as certainly never was a slave state.

Related Topics:
Ohio River - Mississippi River - Arkansas - Louisiana - Texas - Missouri - Oklahoma - Midwest - Union - Civil War

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