Smith Island, Maryland, was first settled by the English in the 1600’s, and it remains Maryland’s only inhabited offshore island. Smith Island’s seafood is world renowned. Not only have its oysters and crabs played an integral part in the economic development of the region, but the argument has been made it was Smith Island oysters which led to the creation and adoption of the United States Constitution.

The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, were generally acknowledged to be inadequate in addressing interstate commerce during times of peace. These inadequacies became apparent in a dispute between Maryland and Virginia over Smith Island’s famous oyster beds. An Annapolis Convention was called in 1786 to address the issue, but it soon became clear problems such as these were inherent in the Articles. The Philadelphia Convention of 1787 was convened to address this and other issues, which ultimately resulted in the adoption of the United States Constitution.