St. Mary's County had long struggled with rural poverty, a legacy of the plantation system in the 1800s that had depressed the development of the local labor market, establishing long-term cycles of poverty among the non-landed peoples of the county.
St. Mary's County had long struggled with rural poverty, a legacy of the plantation system in the 1800s that had depressed the development of the local labor market, and had concentrated landholdings. Long-term cycles of poverty persisted among the non-landed peoples of the county.