Mason–Dixon line

Mason–Dixon line

The Mason–Dixon line (or Mason and Dixon's Line) is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, namely Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. It was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute involving British colonies in Colonial America.

History

The dispute that led to the Mason–Dixon line arose from conflicting claims to the boundary between the Province of Pennsylvania and the Province of Maryland in the English colonies of North America. The line was established to end a boundary dispute between the British colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania/Delaware.

Surveying the Line

Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were English surveyors who were commissioned to resolve the dispute. The surveying of the line took place over a period of four years, from 1763 to 1767. The line was marked by stones every mile and "crown stones" every five miles, using stone shipped from England.

Significance

The Mason–Dixon line symbolized the North-South divide on slavery in the United States in the years prior to the American Civil War. It became known as the boundary between the free (non-slave) states and the slave states.

Modern Day

Today, the Mason–Dixon line still serves as a cultural boundary between the North and the South in the United States. It is often used in discussions and descriptions of state and regional politics, economies, and cultural identities.

See Also

• History of slavery in the United States
• American Civil War
• Province of Pennsylvania
• Province of Maryland