Greensboro

Greensboro, at the northern-most bridge over the Choptank River, linked river and overland traffic as dockworkers loaded and unloaded grains, timber, and manufactured goods for wagon transport to markets in Delaware, Philadelphia, and beyond. Along with cargo, news and ideas of liberty, abolitionism, and equality reached the Eastern Shore, creating tension in a society dependent on slavery and influencing social discourse. Greensboro resident Peter Harrington served as president of the Choptank Abolition Society during the 1790s, but the society was short lived in a pro-slavery community where abolitionist beliefs threatened economic interests. Its legacy continued in the secret activities of Underground Railroad agents. Nearby Talbot County native Frederick Douglass, born into slavery, learned to read despite laws forbidding the teaching of enslaved people to read or write, and wrote that “Knowledge” “is the pathway from slavery to freedom.”

Greensboro, Maryland · United States