The province of Maryland, one of the…
September 1649 CE
The province of Maryland, one of the few regions in the British Empire where Catholics hold the highest positions of political authority, is also one of the key destinations of tens of thousands of British convicts.
The Calvert family, who had founded Maryland in 1634 partly as a refuge for English Catholics, seeks enactment of a law to protect Catholic settlers and those of other religions that do not conform to the dominant Anglicanism of Britain and her colonies.
At this time there are about forty-five hundred colonists in Maryland.
Following the death of Leonard Calvert in 1647, Cecilius Calvert had named William Stone as governor in 1649.
Stone's appointment has been carefully made, as he is a Protestant—as are the majority of the members of his council—and a friend of Parliament.
By choosing Stone, Calvert can avoid criticism of Maryland as a seat of Popery, where Protestants are allegedly oppressed.
Stone and his council, however, are required to agree not to interfere with freedom of worship.
The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649, passed on September 21, 1649 by the assembly of the Maryland colony, is one of the first laws that explicitly dictates religious tolerance, though toleration is limited to Trinitarian Christians: anyone who denies the divinity of Jesus is subject to a death sentence.