What Was the Oyster War?

The Oyster War was a territorial battle which started in the 1630s and lasted for over 200 years, although the parties involved took periodic breaks from the hostilities. The events of the Oyster Wars played a major role in American history, because the prolonged dispute illustrated the need for a more organized government in the late 1700s, leading to the drafting of the Constitution. Although the Oyster War was not solely responsible for the decision to create a Constitution for the brand new country, it certainly provided a nudge.

The roots of the Oyster War lie in the land granting policy in the American Colonies under England, in which the Monarch carved up chunks of the new country for the colonists. King Charles I granted all of the Potomac River to the colony of Maryland in 1632, an unusual departure from convention. Typically, when two colonies bordered a river, the river was split down the middle, allowing both parties access. The neighboring colony of Virginia was angered by what it saw as an unfair land grant, and the stage was set for the Oyster War.

Oysters were among the most notable residents of the Potomac, although the river also harbored fish and was used as a method of transportation for boats and barges. By gaining control of all of the Potomac, Maryland had accomplished quite an economic coup. Virginia demanded rights to part of Chesapeake Bay as compensation, and for a time, both parties had an uneasy truce.

However, Virginians started reneging on the border agreement, shots were fired, and negotiations were held in an attempt to resolve the dispute. Maryland was reluctant to give up its control of the Potomac, and up until the American Revolution, quiet battles were waged repeatedly in the area. After the Revolution, the former Colonies were briefly essentially lawless and without government, and the escalating Oyster War clearly demonstrated the need for some organization, leading the Colonies to propose sending delegates to a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of drafting and approving an American Constitution to create laws which could be used to resolve such issues.

In the 1800s, the nature of the Oyster War shifted. Instead of being a territorial dispute between two neighboring states, it turned into a battle between the government and unscrupulous oyster harvesters. When dredgers descended upon the area in the 1880s, the government sent out barges and other ships in an attempt to control the situation, and a brief episode of violence flared up. Conflicts between the state government and fishermen persisted well through the 1940s, illustrating the lengths to which people were willing to go to access a commodity.