Maryland Passenger Act of 1833

Although the federal government's attitude toward immigration 1820-1875 was fairly relaxed, the state governments were very active in passing legislation that greatly affected newly arriving immigrants. The states regulated immigration especially in the case of paupers or poor immigrants who came to the United States. The state assembly of Maryland passed a law that required the ship captains to ensure that his passengers were not paupers, and if they were, he would be responsible for them.

In 1833, the Maryland Assembly passed "An Act Relating to the Importation of Passengers" on March 22, 1833. The act:

"WHEREAS, The frequent arrivals of passengers at the port of Baltimore have introduced into that city a great number of paupers who have become charges upon the city and county and upon the several associations in said city, incorporated by the State, for the relief of foreign emigrants to the United States; and

WHEREAS, A large proportion of the passengers in the various ships are paupers, and are, as such paupers, embarked, it is believed, under the direction of public authorities of foreign countries; and

WHEREAS, It is right that the evil in question should be remedied or alleviated as far as practicable: Therefore

Section I. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Maryland, That from and after the 1st day of September next, every master or commander of every vessel arriving from a foreign country or from any other of the United States, who shall enter said vessel at the custom-house in the city of Baltimore shall, within twenty-four hours after such entry, make a report in writing on oath to the mayor or register of said city of the name, age, and occupation of every alien who shall have been brought or carried as passenger in such vessel on the voyage whence said vessel shall have, as aforesaid, arrived, upon pain of forfeiture for every neglect or omission to make such report, of the sum of twenty dollars for every such passenger neglected or omitted to be so reported.

Section 7. And be it enacted, That each and every master or commander of any vessel coming from a foreign country, or from any other of the United States, shall prior to her landing any alien passenger at any place in any county in this State, pay in respect of each and every passenger aforesaid, who shall be above the age of five years, the sum of one dollar and fifty cents to the clerk of the county in which such alien is landed, or at the option of said master or commander, he may prior to such landing in lieu of such payment as to all or any of said passengers become bound to the clerk of such county with two sufficient sureties to be approved by such clerk of such county and the trustees of the poor for such county from all and every expense or charge which shall or may be incurred at any t ime within two years from such landing for the maintenance and support of any such passenger as aforesaid so imported and if any alien passenger brought by such vessel shall be permitted or suffered to land within any county in this State before payment m ade or bond given as aforesaid, in respect of any such passenger, the master or commander of any such vessel shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred dollars for every person so suffered or permitted to land as aforesaid, one-half to the use of the St ate, and the other to the use of the informer, to be recovered in an action of debt or indictment in any county court of any county in this State, where such master or commander shall be arrested: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed to extend to any such passenger landed in the city of Baltimore." (Abbott 1924, 109-110)

revised 11/2/01 by Schoenherr | Immigration History | Map list | Links