Concerned about the catholic minority in maryland, leonard calvert ordered the second lord baltimore to
a) issue a decree requiring religious toleration in maryland.
b) make a law requiring catholics to practice their faith quietly and privately.
c) send to europe for more catholic priests.
d) encourage members of the church of england to become catholics.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is a) issue a decree requiring religious toleration in Maryland.
Explanation:
In the early 1600s, Maryland was established as a haven for English Catholics, who were a minority in Protestant-dominated England. However, Maryland itself was not immune to the religious tensions that characterized the Protestant-Catholic divide of the time. The colony was founded in 1632 by Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, who was a Catholic, and it was intended to provide a safe place for Catholics to practice their religion freely, unlike in England where Catholics faced persecution.
Leonard Calvert, the brother of Cecil and the first governor of Maryland, was concerned about maintaining peace between the religious groups within the colony. While Maryland was officially intended as a place for Catholic refuge, Protestants still made up a significant portion of the population. As a result, there were concerns about potential conflicts between Catholics and Protestants.
In response to these concerns and the need for harmony, Leonard Calvert encouraged the Second Lord Baltimore (Cecil Calvert) to issue a decree requiring religious toleration in the colony. This decree, known as the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 (also called the Act Concerning Religion), was passed to guarantee religious freedom to all Christians, protecting both Catholics and Protestants from discrimination. The act decreed that no one could be persecuted for practicing their Christian faith, which allowed both Catholics and Protestants to coexist more peacefully.
The Act was important because it was one of the first laws in the English-speaking world to explicitly provide religious toleration, although it only applied to Christians and did not protect non-Christians. This law was significant in shaping Maryland’s reputation as a refuge for religious freedom, especially for Catholics who were being persecuted in other parts of the English colonies.
Thus, the action taken by Leonard Calvert, through the decree for religious toleration, helped stabilize Maryland and gave it a unique place in the history of religious freedom in the early American colonies.