USA > Maryland > Leading events of Maryland history; with topical analyses, references, and questions for original thought and research > Part 2
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King James seems to have taken the confession George Calvert of Sir George very quietly, From a portrait in possession of the Maryland Historical Society however, and did not with- draw his favor. On the contrary, he retained his former secretary as a member of his council, and not long afterward created him Lord Baron of Balti- more. Soon after this event the king died and was succeeded by his son, Charles I. He also was Calvert's friend.
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THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND
5. Lord Baltimore's Plan for Founding a Colony. - Lord Balti- more had long been interested in the schemes for the colonization of the New World. He had already received from the king a grant of land in Newfoundland; and now that he had laid aside the cares and burdens of public service, he seems to have desired to spend the remainder of his life in the work of founding a colony.
His attempt in Newfoundland was a failure, owing chiefly to the great severity of the climate. Leaving behind him the in-
hospitable shores of Avalon, as the Newfoundland colony was called, Calvert sailed for Virginia.
Here he found himself a very unwelcome visitor. The rights and privileges granted the com- pany that planted Virginia had by this time been formally taken from them, thus leaving the king free to grant the country to whom he pleased. So the governor temporarily in charge (awaiting the arrival of the royal governor) contrived to be rid of Henrietta Maria Lord Baltimore, doubtless know- From a painting by Miss Florence Mack- ubin, copied from the Van Dyke por- trait at Warwick Castle; it is now in the State House at Annapolis ing of his ambitions. It is not unlikely that during his short stay he had at least a glimpse of the lovely country that lay to the north of the Potomac, a region uninhabited by white men and in the uncultivated state of nature. At any rate Lord Baltimore returned to England, and after much weary delay received a grant of land north of the Potomac river, in the year 1632. In honor of the king's wife, Henrietta Maria, or Mary, the new colony was to be called Maryland.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
6. Death and Character of George Calvert. - But in April of this year Lord Baltimore, whose health had long been failing, died, before his grant had passed the great seal.1
George Calvert was, beyond any doubt, a man of high mind and honorable character. In ordinary affairs he was cautious and painstaking; as a statesman he was shrewd and intelligent; as a man, courteous, loyal, and of sterling integrity. " He had risen from obscurity to places of high honor and trust, and to hereditary rank; he had enjoyed, without abusing, the confi- dence and friendship of kings; he had adhered to his political and altered his religious opinions, when his constancy and his change were alike fatal to his advancement, and he died leaving a name without reproach from friend or enemy, and which, if evil tongues of a later day have attempted in vain to sully, it is because detraction, no less than death, loves a shining mark." 2
7. Cecilius, Second Lord Baltimore. - The title and estates of George Calvert passed to his eldest son, Cecilius, and in his name the charter for Maryland was issued a few months after his father's death. 1
8. The Maryland Charter. - The charter was the document by which the land was granted to Lord Baltimore, and in which his powers and duties, and those of the people of the new colony, were established. In a word, it fixed the form of government.
There were two distinct kinds of government in the colonies. In the first, affairs were controlled by the king of England, who appointed the governor and principal officers; this was called a royal government. In the second, the people elected their gov- ernor and other officers, and in the main managed their own
1 An instrument for stamping an impression upon a document to make it authentic.
2 William Hand Browne's Maryland, p. 17.
ANNO PiJOSZ
Abrs: Blething fewly
Eligies Illustryfsimi
Dir GeciliCalvert,
Barrilis BALTEMORE
JEbernicer Abloluti
de Buttermore in Regne Dift et Proprietar"
Forinciarum Terra
Marie et lvalomiz in
Cecilius Calvert From a print in the library of the Maryland Historical Society
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
affairs without interference from the mother country; this was called a charter government. In Maryland the land was owned by a single person, called the proprietary, or proprietor, who also appointed the governor and other officers ; hence this was called a proprietary government.
The boundaries of the colony were as follows: The Atlantic ocean, the Delaware bay and Delaware river on the east; the fortieth parallel of latitude on the north ; a meridian line run- ning south from this parallel to the source of the Potomac on the west ; a line running along the southern bank of the Potomac to its mouth and thence east across the peninsula to the ocean on the west and south.
The charter created, in the new colony, " an empire within an empire," and the latter was therefore called a province. The powers conferred upon the lord proprietary were the most exten- sive ever granted to an English subject. He could coin money, create courts of justice, appoint judges, and pardon criminals ; he could make peace and war, suppress rebellion, arm and call out the militia, and declare martial law ; he could create titles of nobility and found cities and towns. All laws, when agreed upon between himself and the people went into effect at once, and did not have to be confirmed either by the king or Parlia- ment. The inhabitants continued to be Englishmen, with all the rights and privileges of Englishmen; and the laws were to be in harmony, as far as convenient, with the laws of England. And, most important for us to remember, the people, and their lands and goods, were forever exempted from taxation by the king.
9. Maryland a Palatinate. - Colonial Maryland was called a palatinate and her proprietaries earls palatine, which terms will need some explanation. In early times, when there were no railroads, steamboats, or telegraph, news of course traveled
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THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND
very slowly. Hence, in fixing the powers that should be exer- cised by the noblemen who ruled the English counties, it was necessary that those who ruled the border counties should be much more powerful than others; for in case of sudden invasion there would be no time to notify the king, but the local ruler must take instant measures for the defense of the county. Thus Durham on the border of Scotland, Chester on the border of Wales, and Kent, where an invasion from the Continent could most easily be made, were made palatinates, and their rulers exercised nearly royal authority.
The county of Durham, which was still a palatinate at the time when the charter of Maryland was granted, served as a model for that colony; Lord Baltimore was granted all the powers that belonged to the ruler of Durham, with some addi- tional ones, and was thus an "earl palatine." This made Mary- land very like a limited monarchy, with the lord proprietary as king.
TOPICS AND QUESTIONS
1. Introduction.
Knowledge of the world 400 years ago.
The voyage of Christopher Columbus.
Mainland of America discovered and explored.
Conquest of the Spanish and spoils taken by them.
2. English Colonies.
Voyage of Cabot and the claims of England.
First attempts of the English to plant colonies and their failure. What sort of plan was tried next ? With what success did it meet ?
When and where was made the first permanent English settlement in America ?
Where else were English settlements planted ?
3. George Calvert.
Early life of George Calvert. He attracts the notice of the king. Offices held by him. Honors conferred upon him. He becomes a Catholic.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
4. Religious Intolerance.
Usual attitude of governments on matters pertaining to religion. Suffering for religion's sake. English laws at this time.
How did the king receive Calvert's confession ?
5. Lord Baltimore's Plan for Founding a Colony.
His interest in colonization.
The grant of Avalon ; failure of that colony.
Lord Baltimore sails for Virginia.
His reception ; rights of the Virginians. The grant of Maryland ; in whose honor named.
6. Death and Character of George Calvert.
7. Cecilius, Second Lord Baltimore.
He succeeds his father, George Calvert.
8. The Maryland Charter.
What is meant by the charter ?
Name and define the three kinds of colonial government.
The charter boundaries of Maryland.
Character of the government.
(a) Powers of the lord proprietary.
(b) Rights and privileges of the people.
9. Maryland a Palatinate.
The counties of early England.
The border counties necessarily more powerful.
The three palatinates.
Maryland government modeled after that of the county of Durham.
Maryland really a limited monarchy.
QUESTIONS FOR ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND RESEARCH
1. What is history ? Are you interested in the history of your native state ? Think of as many reasons as you can why you should be.
2. What is a colony ? What are the chief differences between civilized and uncivilized peoples ? Is it right for the former to take land from the lat- ter by force ? Should a colony be governed with reference to its own welfare or to that of the mother country ?
3. What is a baron ? Why did not the younger brothers and sisters of Cecilius Calvert share with him the estates of his father ? Had George Calvert been a man of more brilliant mind but of less honorable character, should we have more or less reason to be proud of him ?
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THE FOUNDING OF MARYLAND
4. Is it right to try to force others to believe as we do ? Give reasons for your answer. Is it right to try to persuade them ?
5. What is a charter ? Are charters ever used for other purposes than to fix the form of a government ? Discuss the relative merits of the three forms of colonial government. What corresponds to the charter in the present government of Maryland ?
REFERENCES
Browne's Maryland, pp. 1-20. Browne's Calverts, pp. 1-38. Fiske's Old Vir- ginia and Her Neighbors, Vol. I., pp. 255-271 and 275-285. Gambrall's Early Maryland, pp. 9-60. Mereness' Maryland as a Proprietary Province-see index for topics desired.
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CHAPTER II
THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND
10. Character and Plans of the Second Lord Baltimore. - Cecilius Calvert was a worthy successor of his father. Wise, just, and moderate, and possessed of great patience and unfailing tact, he was eminently qualified for the important and difficult enterprise which his father left him. Of his private life and plans we know little, but we are justified in supposing that, in founding the new colony, it was a part of his plan to create a refuge for the perse- Baltimore 1729 cuted members of his own church. No doubt his plans comprehended many other purposes.
St. MaryS. 1634
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Now that Lord Baltimore had secured his charter, he was free to proceed with Jamestown 1607 the work of founding a colony. It was his intention to accompany the early set- tlers himself, and share with them the dangers and hardships of the enterprise; but Maryland was destined to suffer a long period of opposition and peril, and the proprietary found it necessary to remain in England to protect the interests of his infant colony. He never visited Maryland. The members of the old Virginia Company, who seem to have entertained some hopes of regaining their lost privileges, became his bitter ene- mies. It was not until after much opposition and many un- pleasant experiences that the proprietary was able to send out his first colony.
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THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND
11. The First Colonists ; Lord Baltimore's Policy of Religious Toleration. - The proprietary said in reference to the first band of colonists that sailed to Maryland : " There are two of my brothers gone, with very near twenty other gentlemen of very good fashion, and three hundred labouring men well pro- vided in all things." His brother Leonard was in command of the expedition and became the first governor of Maryland. Two Catholic priests were in the company also, and one of them, Father Andrew White, wrote a narrative of the voyage.
How many of this interesting company were Catholics and how many were Protestants is a matter of uncertainty. Lord Balti- more's brothers were Catholics and probably the twenty gentle- men associated with them were Catholics also, while most of the other colonists were Protestants. This brings us to a considera- tion of religious freedom in Maryland, which prevailed from the start. Cecilius Calvert, as has already been said, doubtless meant to establish a retreat for persecuted Catholics. But it will be evident, if you remember the times that we are studying, that to found a purely Catholic colony, in which no other denomi- nation was allowed, was not possible, for such a storm would immediately have been raised in England as would inevitably have cut off the colony in its infancy. This fact is so plain as to have led some writers to withhold from Cecilius due credit for his policy of toleration. He permitted freedom of worship to all sects of Christians under many different circumstances, and when his government was temporarily overthrown, freedom of worship ceased also, but was again restored with the rule of the proprietary, All that we know of his life and character shows him to have been a man of tolerant principles - broad-minded, just, liberal, and wise. And Maryland has the honor, through Cecilius Calvert, of being the first colony in America, as well as one of the first places in the world, where freedom of worship was permitted.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
12. The Voyage to Maryland; the First Landing. - After many difficulties, our colonists reached the Isle of Wight, and from here, on a November day of 1633, they set sail in two small vessels, the Ark and the Dove, and stood out to sea before a steady breeze from the east. After a stormy voyage, in the course of which they stopped in the West Indies, the expedition arrived at
Chancellor's Point, the First Landing-place for the Settlement of St. Mary's From a photograph
Virginia, where a letter from the king procured them a friendly reception. From here they sailed for the Potomac river.
Near the mouth of the river they found a lovely little island, thickly wooded and dotted with early spring flowers, which they named St. Clement's. It is now called Blakistone's Island. Here they landed, and with solemn religious ceremonies set up a large wooden cross, about which Catholic and Protestant knelt together - March 25, 1634.1
13. The Land of Promise. - To what sort of country had our colonists come ? Anxiously indeed must they have looked for-
1 March 25 is now celebrated with appropriate exercises in the schools of the state as " Maryland Day."
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THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND
ward to the time which had now arrived. They had given up their homes, and had left their native land for a widely different one - a highly civilized country for a wilderness, through which the wild beasts roamed at will and more savage men wandered unrestrained. After such anxiety, then, they must have beheld their new home, as they sailed along to the first landing-place, with feelings of intense relief and pleasure, for it was truly a noble country to which they had come.
Nothing small or mean greeted the eye. There was the mag- nificent expanse of the Chesapeake bay ; there was the beautiful Potomac, beside which, Father White said, the Thames was but a rivulet ; there were mighty for- ests stretching as far as the eye could reach, unchoked by briers, and contain- ing " strange and beautiful trees "; there were banks and groves dotted with the early flowers of spring ; there were myriads of water-fowl and Catholics settling Maryland flocks of wild tur- From a drawing by Charles Copeland, based upon contemporary sources keys; there were new and wonderful birds, the jay with his coat of blue, the tana- ger in his feathers of scarlet, and strangest of all, the oriole in a dress of black and gold, the Baltimore colors ; - and this was Maryland. We may easily believe that the brave little band was filled with hope at the sight.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
14. Founding of the First Capital (St. Mary's) ; Relations with the Indians. - Governor Leonard Calvert at once undertook to win the friendship of the native tribes of Indians. These poor creatures were ignorant and uncivilized ; they dressed in mantles of deerskins or other hides, painted their faces, and with bows and flint-tipped arrows hunted the wild animals of the forests. Wars with the Indians, in which the most horrible and bloody deeds were com- mitted, occurred in many other parts of America, but Maryland was spared this terri- ble experience. It is to the everlast- ing honor of Leon- ard Calvert and of Maryland that the settlement of the state was effected without shed- Trinity Church, Site of St. Mary's 1 From a photograph ding the blood of this unfortunate
people, for in few indeed of the other colonies were settle- ments so made. To this end, Governor Calvert sailed up the Potomac river to visit the emperor of the Indians, and he man- aged the interview so well that he won the permission of the chief to form a settlement with his colony.
1 Built in 1824, of the bricks of the first State House, which stood almost on the spot.
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THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND
----
The Site of St. Mary's From a photograph
As the little isle of St. Clement's was far too small to accommo- date the settlers, a home had now to be sought. Guided by a Virginian named Henry Fleet, they sailed into a broad and deep river, which flows into the Potomac from the north, not far from its mouth. This river, which they named St. George's, is now called the St. Mary's. Some distance up they found an Indian village, on the east bank of the river, and here they determined to make their future home. A large tract of land was purchased from the Indians and named Augusta Carolina, and it was arranged that the colonists should occupy half the village until harvest time, after which it was to be entirely abandoned to them. The terms of the treaty being fully arranged, the colo- nists landed with much show and ceremony. The governor took formal possession of the soil and named the new town St. Mary's. Thus was founded the oldest city of Maryland and its first capital - March 27, 1634.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
The dealings of Governor Calvert with the Indians were marked by kindness, tact, and justice. The natives were paid for the land with English cloth, axes, hatchets, knives, and hoes, which was very creditable, for in other colonies purchases were often made from the Indians with worthless strings of flashing beads and bits of shining glass, in which the simple natives took a childish delight. During the joint occupation of the village
St. Mary's Female Seminary, Site of St. Mary's City
From a photograph
by the English and the Indians perfect peace and friendliness prevailed. Many of the Indian women and children dwelt with the families of the English, and learned from them some of the arts and refinements of civilization. The Indian women taught the English how to make hominy and "pone " of the corn, the Indian men hunted wild turkeys and deer for them in the forest. Thus happily did the two peoples dwell together until the harvest.
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THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND
15. The Prosperous Beginning. - In the early history of Vir- ginia there was a " starving time," in the course of which the entire colony came very near being extinguished. Maryland never knew such a condition, the colony being prosperous from the start. The voyage had been so planned that the colonists arrived in Maryland in the early spring, having thus the longest possible time to prepare for the winter. A supply of food was brought from England, and corn for planting from the West Indies, while cattle and hogs were bought in Virginia. Farms were laid out, and soon the province was settled in earnest.
No scarcity of food ever existed. The bay and rivers were teeming with fish and covered with water-fowl, while the forests held multitudes of wild turkeys, deer, bears, and small game. As for the corn harvests, they were so bountiful that corn was almost immediately sent to New England, and there exchanged for salt fish and other supplies. In the proper seasons straw- berries and nuts were plentiful.
16. Legislative Assemblies; the People Win the Right to Propose Laws. - Hardly was the colony firmly established be- fore the people began to make laws under which to live. The first legislative assembly met at St. Mary's in February, 1635, and was composed of all the freemen of the province. Unfor- tunately, the records of the proceedings of this interesting assembly have been lost, but we do know that a body of laws was passed.
Now the seventh section of the Maryland charter provides that the proprietary may enact laws with the advice and consent of the people of the province or their representatives. This seems to mean that all laws should originate with the proprie- tary, and then be submitted to the people, who could accept or reject them as they chose. This is just a reversal of the usual method of legislation, by which the law-making power belongs
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
to the representatives of the people, while the ruler exercises the right of veto (which means, "I forbid "). But taking the ground that his charter gave him this right, Lord Baltimore refused to assent to these laws. In April, 1637, he directed Governor Leonard Calvert to call an Assembly of the people on the 25th of the following January, and inform them of his lord-
The First State House in Maryland (A restoration)
From J. W. Thomas's "Chronicles of Colonial Maryland," by permission of the author
ship's dissent to all laws previously passed by them. The issue was now openly raised.
Accordingly, the Assembly met on January 25, 1638. It was composed of all the freemen of the province, and not of repre- sentatives. Those who could not come engaged other persons to vote for them, and such a person was called a "proxy." Thus one man might have the privilege of casting ten votes, his own and those of nine other men who had empowered him to
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THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND
vote for them. The proprietary sent out to the Assembly a body of laws of his own making, the bearer being John Lewger, a friend of Lord Baltimore's, and a man of much intelligence and profound legal knowledge, who was to be secretary of the province.
The proprietary might be determined to retain the right which his charter gave him, but the people of Maryland were equally determined to have for themselves the right to propose laws, which they believed belonged to them as Englishmen. They accordingly rejected the laws of the proprietary by a large ma- jority, and then passed a new set of laws, which included many of those prepared by the proprietary. Having thus forcibly asserted the right which they claimed, they sent off the laws they had passed to the proprietary for his approval. These laws did not go into operation, and it is therefore supposed that the proprietary refused to assent to them, and the province now seemed, as a result of this unhappy dispute, in danger of remain- ing without any laws at all. But Lord Baltimore wisely decided to relinquish the right which his charter gave him, for the sake of the welfare and happiness of his province. Thus ended the first struggle for popular rights in Maryland-triumphantly for the people.
17. State of Society. - The life of the people in these early days of the colony was very rude and simple. The community was purely agricultural. Shortly after the settlement, Lord Baltimore sent out instructions about the granting of land, which were called " Conditions of Plantation." The land that a man might receive varied according to the number of persons that he brought over to settle in the colony. Thus, each of the first settlers who brought over as many as five persons received two thousand acres of land ; if he brought fewer than five, he received one hundred acres for himself and for every man, one hundred for
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
his wife and for every servant, and fifty for every child under six- teen. The land so granted was subject to a small annual rent to the proprietary, called a "quit rent." Relations with the neigh- boring Indians were friendly from the beginning, Father White and other good priests becoming missionaries to them and winning many converts. This fact, together with the abundance of food and the easy conditions on which land was granted and the religious toleration Rosecroft 1 From a photograph that prevailed, caused the popula-
tion to grow rapidly. Plantations were usually laid out along the water's edge, and the first houses were rudely built of logs and boards. Travel was almost entirely by water.
Augusta Carolina (see Sec. 14) soon became St. Mary's county, which is thus the oldest in the state. As the population increased and the settlements began to spread, the county was divided into "hundreds." Hundred was a name originally applied to a district capable of supplying a hundred men for the army. In England the county divisions were called hundreds, and the name was used in the same way in Maryland. The hundred thus corresponds to the election district of the present time. A settlement which soon grew up across the St. Mary's
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