History of Maryland

The history of Maryland could be said to have begun circa 10,000 BC, when the first people arrived in what would later become the U.S. State of Maryland. Native Americans were the sole inhabitants of the area for thousands of years until Europeans, starting with John Cabot in 1498, began exploring the area. However, it wasn't until the 1600s that Europeans began settling the area, and not until 1632 that the colony itself was founded and named.

Colonial Maryland

See also: Colonial America and British colonization of the Americas

Related Topics:
Colonial America - British colonization of the Americas

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George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore applied to Charles I for a new royal charter for what was to become the Province of Maryland. George Calvert died in April 1632, but a charter for "Maryland Colony" (in Latin, "Terra Maria") was granted to his son, Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, on June 20, 1632. Some historians view this as a form of compensation for his father's being stripped of his title of Secretary of State upon announcing his Roman Catholicism in 1625. The new colony was named in honor of Henrietta Maria, Queen Consort of Charles I.

Related Topics:
George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore - Charles I - Province of Maryland - Latin - Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore - June 20 - 1632 - Secretary of State - Roman Catholicism - 1625 - Henrietta Maria

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Lord Baltimore was a staunch Catholic, which was extremely stigmatic for a nobleman in 17th century England, where Roman Catholics were enemies of the crown and of the country. Baltimore's two goals were to create a haven for British Catholics but at the same time turn a profit. Without Protestant settlers to provide the backbone of the colony's population, it would most likely fail. For this reason, Lord Baltimore instructed his brother Leonard Calvert, who was to be the colony's governor, to keep the religion of the Catholic settlers quiet to avoid dissent.

Related Topics:
Catholic - 17th century - England - Leonard Calvert - Governor

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The first settlers, led by Leonard Calvert, Cecil Calvert's younger brother, departed from Cowes, on the on the Isle of Wight, on November 22, 1633 aboard two small ships, the Ark and the Dove. Their landing on March 25, 1634 is commemorated by the state each year on that date as Maryland Day. The first group of colonists consisted of 17 gentlemen and their wives and about two hundred others. After purchasing from the Yaocomico Indians and establishing the town of St. Mary's, Leonard, per his brother's instructions, at first attempted to govern the country under feudalistic precepts. However, this met resistance and in February 1635 he had to summon a colonial assembly. In 1638 the assembly forced him to govern according to the laws of England, and subsequently the right to initiate legislation passed to the assembly.

Related Topics:
Leonard Calvert - Cowes - Isle of Wight - November 22 - 1633 - March 25 - 1634 - Maryland Day - Gentlemen - Yaocomico - St. Mary's - Feudalistic - February - 1635 - Assembly - 1638 - England

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In 1638 Calvert seized a trading post in Kent Island established by the Virginian William Claiborne. In 1644 Claiborne led an uprising of Maryland Protestants. Calvert was forced to flee to Virginia, but he returned at the head of an armed force in 1646 and reasserted proprietorial rule.

Related Topics:
William Claiborne - 1644 - Protestant - Virginia - 1646 - Proprietorial

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Maryland which would soon become one of the few dominantly Catholic regions among the English colonies in America. Maryland was one of the key destinations of tens of thousands of British convicts, which carried on until independence. The Maryland Toleration Act, issued in 1649, was one of the first laws that explicitly tolerated varieties of religion (as long as it was Christian), and is sometimes seen as a precursor to the First Amendment.

Related Topics:
Maryland Toleration Act - 1649 - Christian - First Amendment

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St. Mary's City was the largest site of the original Maryland colony, and was the seat of the colonial government until 1708. After Virginia made the practice of Anglicanism mandatory, a large number of Puritans migrated from Virginia to Maryland, and were given land for a settlement called Providence (now called Annapolis). In 1650 the Puritans revolted against the proprietary government and set up a new government that outlawed both Catholicism and Anglicanism. This lasted until 1658 when the Calvert family regained control and re-enacted the Toleration Act.

Related Topics:
St. Mary's City - Virginia

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During the persecution of Maryland Catholics by the Puritan revolutionary government, all of the original Catholic churches of southern Maryland were burned down. St Mary's City is now an archeological site, with a small tourist center. In 1708 the seat of government was moved to Providence, renamed Annapolis in honor of Queen Anne.

Related Topics:
Annapolis - Queen Anne

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Originally, based on an incorrect map, the royal charter granted Maryland the Potomac River and territory northward to the fortieth parallel. This was found to be a problem, because the northern boundary would put Philadelphia, the major city in Pennsylvania, within Maryland. The Calvert family, which controlled Maryland, and the Penn family, which controlled Pennsylvania, decided in 1750 to engage two surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, to survey what became known as the Mason-Dixon line which would form the boundary between their two colonies. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 would later create political conditions which made the Mason-Dixon line important to the history of slavery, whose expansion was only permitted in territories south of the line.

Related Topics:
Potomac River - Philadelphia - Pennsylvania - Calvert family - Penn family - 1750 - Charles Mason - Jeremiah Dixon - Mason-Dixon line - Missouri Compromise - 1820

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