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Vocabulary
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Calverts
Catholics
 Lord Baltimore, 1632
Maryland, 1632
religious freedom
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Key Concepts
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The Maryland settlement
was begun by the Calvert family. The Calverts were a wealthy
business family that lived in England. They were also Catholic.
They became interested in building a colony that would make a profit.
They wanted the colony to begin a refuge for Catholics.
Catholics were not allowed to practice their religion in England. The
government only allowed one church, and that was the Church of England. In 1632, the English King made Lord
Baltimore the proprietor of a new colony named Maryland.
From the beginning, Maryland welcomed settlers of different religions.
In 1649, Maryland passed the first
law in North America to guarantee religious freedom. |
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Maryland
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Europeans Settle Throughout
North America
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Additional Information
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Lord Baltimore - Sir George Calvert was an English Lord. Because he was a Catholic, he was forced to resign his government position. Although he was a Catholic, King Charles liked him. King Charles II gave George Calvert the land for the Maryland colony. profit
- Cecil Calvert was the first Lord Baltimore. His father
was George Calvert. Cecil Calvert never went to Maryland. He
stayed in England and still made money from his proprietary colony.
first law
- In 1649, the Calvert family urged the Maryland Assembly to
pass a Toleration Act. Religious freedom was a new idea
that had been practiced by the Quakers. Maryland passed the
law to protect Catholics. Maryland needed Catholics settlers in the
colony. However, the Toleration Act only protected Christians. Credits |
