This was the age in which lived
George Calvert, First Lord Baltimore,
Founder of Maryland.
Calvert has been uniformly hailed as
a man of great political insight, patient
understanding and moral fibre. Distin-
guished historians of the United States
have reserved their highest praise for the
self-made statesman-philosopher. One
ranked him among the wisest and most
benevolent statesmen of all ages, saying
that Calvert:
"was the first in the history of the
Christian world to seek for religious
security and peace by the practise
of justice and not by the exercise of
power; to plan the establishment
of popular institutions with the
environment of liberty and con-
science .... The asylum of Papists
was the spot where in a remote
corner of the world, on the banks
of rivers which as yet had hardly
been explored, the mild forbearance
of a proprietary, adopted religious
freedom as the basis of the state."12
Calvert was chosen Secretary of State
of England by King James I, who knew
of his tolerant views on religion and
recognized him as "a man of great sense,
but not obstinate in his sentiments,
taking as great pleasure in hearing
others' opinions as in delivering his
own."13
Shortly after the death of his first
wife, George Calvert converted to
Catholicism and, true to character, pub-
licly announced his change of religion.14
When British persecution of Catholics
became severe, the first Lord Baltimore
12 1 G. bancroft, history of the united
states 244 (many editions).
13 ives, supra note 7 at 31-32.
14 Id. at 36.
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bowed out of office. Again he affirmed
his faith and claimed that the duties of
office were no longer compatible with
his religion. Historians frequently praise
Calvert's loyalty to his faith, but seldom
note the significance which his conver-
sion to Catholicism may have had upon
his philosophy of government. Although
retired from public office, he was never-
theless still a King's man. He had not
changed his political party, yet church
and state were still clearly separated in
his mind.15
Calvert's ill-fated attempts to colonize
in Newfoundland16 seemed to do little
more than increase his fervent desire to
establish a haven for the persecuted.
He was liked and respected by the King,
and his request for a charter to set up a
colony on the shores of the Chesapeake
was granted, without too much diffi-
culty, in 1632.17 However, before the
charter received its seal, the first Lord
Baltimore died, never to set foot upon
his promised land.
THE ARK AND THE DOVE TO THE
ACT OF TOLERATION
1634-1650
Maryland was born as the "Free
State," but it did not earn that title,
unless it be true that nothing is earned
except that which is suffered for. To be
15 Johnson, The Maryland Act of Reli-
gious Toleration 5 (1949).
16 ives, supra note 7, 45-46.
17 Some writers have suggested that Cal-
vert's first consideration in asking for the new
charter was to offset the financial loss oc-
casioned by the failure of colonization in
Newfoundland, and that the wish to establish
a refuge for Catholics was but secondary. See
P. skirven, the first parishes of the
province of maryland 3 (1923); and E.
allen, maryland toleration 18 (1855).
But this theory has not been popular among
other historians.
17
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