The British men in the business of colonizing the North American continent were so sure they “owned whatever land they land on” (yes, that’s from Pocahontas), they established new colonies by simply drawing lines on a map.
Then, everyone living in the now-claimed territory, became a part of an English colony.
And of all the lines drawn on maps in the 18th century, perhaps the most famous is the Mason-Dixon Line.
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What is the Mason-Dixon Line?
Stargazer's stone
The “Stargazer’s Stone.” Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon used this as a base point while plotting the Mason and Dixon line. The name comes from the astronomical observations they made there.
The Mason-Dixon Line also called the Mason and Dixon Line is a boundary line that makes up the border between Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Over time, the line was extended to the Ohio River to make up the entire southern border of Pennsylvania.
But it also took on additional significance when it became the unofficial border between the North and the South, and perhaps more importantly, between states where slavery was allowed and states where slavery had been abolished.
