Advisory Group Recommends Changes To Maryland's State Song

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- A Maryland advisory group is recommending changes to the state's official anthem, "Maryland, My Maryland," which critics say is divisive for its celebration of the Confederacy.

The Frederick News-Post reports that the recently formed State Song Advisory Group issued a report Monday in which the committee members unanimously urged the General Assembly to either change parts of the song or choose a tune that would be played instrumentally only.

The report says that the song isn't inclusive and doesn't reflect present-day views.

Frederick County state Delegate Karen Lewis Young submitted legislation in July to have the words of the state song replaced by a poem of the same title. Young says the song celebrates the Confederacy and disparages the Union government, with lyrics such as "Northern scum."