What did the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 do?
Maryland Toleration Act. Passed on April 21, 1649 by the assembly of the Maryland colony, in St. Mary’s City. It was the second law requiring religious tolerance in the British North American colonies and created the first legal limitations on religious hate speech in the world. (The colony which became Rhode Island passed a series of laws,…
How did Claiborne and Bennett change the Maryland Toleration Act?
In addition to repealing the Maryland Toleration Act with the assistance of Protestant assemblymen, Claiborne and Bennett passed a new law barring Catholics from openly practicing their religion. Calvert regained control after making a deal with the colony’s Protestants, and in 1657 the Act was again passed by the colonial assembly.
Why did John Calvert write the Maryland Toleration Act?
This recognition was combined with the arrival of a group of Puritans whom Calvert had induced to establish Providence, now Annapolis, by guaranteeing their freedom of worship. Partially to confirm the promises he made to them, Calvert wrote the Maryland Toleration Act and encouraged the colonial assembly to pass it. They did so on April 21, 1649.
What was the purpose of the Toleration Act?
The act was meant to ensure freedom of religion for Christian settlers of diverse persuasions in the colony. Toleration Act made blasphemy a crime The law made it a crime to blaspheme God, the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, or the early apostles and evangelists.
What happened to the colony of Maryland after 1647?
Peace prevailed until the English Civil War, which opened religious rifts and threatened Calvert’s control of Maryland. In 1647, after the death of Governor Leonard Calvert, Protestants seized control of the colony.
Was Maryland a model of religious toleration during the revolutionary period?
Maryland nullified this law from 1654 to 1661 and from 1692 to the end of the Revolutionary period, indicating that Maryland was not always a model of religious toleration during this period.