The Mason-Dixon Line is a term that refers to the boundary line between four American states: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. This line was drawn in the 1760s by British surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to settle a land dispute between the colonial powers of Maryland and Pennsylvania. It has since become a symbol of the divide between the North and South during the Civil War era. Synonyms for the Mason-Dixon Line include the Line of Demarcation, the Boundary Line, and the Maryland-Pennsylvania Line. The term can also be used metaphorically to refer to any kind of political or cultural divide within a country or society.