Quynh Anh 1

Quynh Anh N Do

Mr. Legg

US His/Geo 1H

26 August 2020

Maryland Toleration Act Homework

A) Explain the purpose and significance of the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649

The purpose of the MTA was to avoid tensions between the Catholics and the

Protestants as well as strengthening the colony (1). The MTA is significant

because it allows all Christians to freely express and practice their beliefs. (2)

B) Is the issue that the MTA addressed unique to the ‘New World’ or was it more a

continuation of European issues?

The issue of religious freedom is not unique to America. The Toleration Act was

also granted in England in May 1689, which allowed freedom of worship to all

Protestant Non-Conformists. (3)

C) What does it tell us about cultural views of early American colonists? (without, of course,

saying ‘us’)

Early American colonists seemed to favor the practice of Christianity. (4)(5)

D) How was Maryland different than the other colonies?

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Maryland was different from other colonies because it specifically granted

religious freedom to Trinitarian Christians. (6)

E) How long was the MTA in place? Did it have a lasting impact?

The MTA was in place for over thirty years, from 1649 to 1654, and from 1661 to

1692 (7). The MTA, as one of the first laws in America that granted tolerance and

liberty (8), was the base of the writing of the First Amendment (9) which ensures

freedom of religion in the U.S. (10)

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Work Citation

(1)Free Exercise in the Free State: Maryland's Role in Religious Liberty and the First

Amendment

https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1803&context=all_fac

(2) Toleration Act

https://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?

id=ar560420&st=maryland+toleration+act#tab=homepage

(3) Act of Toleration, May, 1689

https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~rkeyser/wp/wp-

content/uploads/2015/06/TolerationAct1689.pdf

(4) Religious Tolerance in Colonial America

http://www.andycrown.net/religious_tolerance.htm#:~:text=Lord%20Baltimore%20in

%20Maryland%20and,of%201701%20affirmed%20religious%20toleration.

(5) Religion through time in the UK

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/znjnb9q/revision/1

(6) Colonial Autonomy: Maryland's Legal Foundation

http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:204686/datastream/PDF/view

(7) Maryland Toleration Act of 1649

https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/868/maryland-toleration-act-of-1649

(8) Religious Freedom and the Church-State Relationship in Maryland

https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1836&context=all_fac

(9) Free Exercise in the Free State: Maryland's Role in the Development of First Amendment

Jurisprudence
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https://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1509&context=ublr

(10) First Amendment

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment