Wednesday, May 19, 2021
“Out of date and yesterday”
Maryland abolishes controversial national anthem
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The Maryland anthem dates back to the American Civil War. Even today it still speaks of the “scum from the north”. Now the US state has decided to use a different song in the future.
The US state of Maryland has abolished its official anthem “Maryland, My Maryland”. The song is a “relic” of the Southern Confederation, said Governor Larry Hogan. The state’s Democratic-controlled parliament voted earlier this year to abolish the controversial anthem. Hogan, a moderate Republican, agreed, saying the song was “clearly out of date and yesterday”.
“Maryland, My Maryland” was written during the American Civil War (1861-1865) by James Ryder Randall, who was a supporter of the Southern Confederation. The breakaway southern states had fought in vain for the preservation of slavery in the civil war with the north. Among other things, the song speaks of the “dregs from the north”. Since 1939 the piece has been the official Maryland anthem. A new anthem has not yet been selected.
Symbols of the former slave-holding states such as the Confederate flag have come under increasing criticism since the nationwide demonstrators against racism and police violence. The protests were triggered by the killing of the African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis in May 2020.
Monuments linked to the legacy of slavery were attacked several times during the demonstrations. Several cities in the US have already responded to protesters’ demands by removing flags and statues related to the southern states. Last year Mississippi was the last state to decide to remove the Confederate flag from its own flag.
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