USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Long before the First Amendment was adopted, the assembly of the Province of Maryland passed “An Act Concerning Religion, ” also called the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649. The act was meant to ensure freedom of religion for Christian settlers of diverse persuasions in the colony.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Maryland Toleration Act, also known as the Act Concerning Religion, the first law in North America requiring religious tolerance for Christians. It was passed on April 21, 1649, by the assembly of the Maryland colony, in St. Mary’s City in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.

Detailed explanation-3: -Introduction. The Maryland Toleration Act did not bring complete religious freedom, as is so often assumed, and as a reading of this document will quickly prove. Nor did it come about because of a profound humanistic conviction on the part of Lord Baltimore, the Maryland proprietor.

Detailed explanation-4: -Religious toleration was not new to the men and women of Maryland. Planned by George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore, and actually founded by his son Cecil, the province was primarily a haven for persecuted Catholics; yet its founders had welcomed, and even sought, Protestants as settlers.

Detailed explanation-5: -Fearful that the Protestant masses might restrict Catholic liberties, the House of Delegates passed the Maryland Act of Toleration in 1649. This act granted religious freedom to all Christians.