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associations was organized here in Maryland, but unfor-
tunately the trend of reform soon swung in the other
direction, so that by the year 1860 there was serious
discussion within this state on the process of expelling
free Negroes and re-enslaving them, and in 1860 the
General Assembly of this state enacted a law that forbade
a slave owner from freeing a slave, even if he so
desired.
Now, during the Civil War, the pendulum swung
the other way, so that through the Constitution of 1864
the state of Maryland became the first border state within
this country to abolish slavery and in the first sentence
of that Constitution, you will find the Constitutional
Convention delegates of that period stirringly proclaiming
a variety of rights and freedom.
THE CHAIRMAN: You have three-quarters of a
minute.
DELEGATE WAGANDT: It looks like I will have
to skip a little.
I would mention some of the problems of racisr",
in the early nineteen hundreds when we tried to