USA > Maryland > Leading events of Maryland history; with topical analyses, references, and questions for original thought and research > Part 4
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25. Death of Governor Calvert. - Peace was hardly restored when the province met a heavy loss in the death of its first gov- ernor, Leonard Calvert (June 9, 1647). Little is known of his private life, but his record shows . him to have been wise, just, and kind, and well worthy of the trust reposed in him. His thirteen years of faithful service succeeded in es- tablishing firmly the province he governed, and laying secure foun- dations for its future growth. He appointed Thomas Greene, who was a Catholic and a royalist, to succeed him until the pleasure of Lord Baltimore should be known.
26. The Government Reorgan- ized, and William Stone Appointed Governor. - Lord Baltimore now completely reorganized his gov- ernment. It was a favorite cry of his enemies that Maryland was a nest of " papists," as the Catho- lics were called, and that the poor Protestants were grievously op- pressed. Really the Protestants greatly outnumbered the Catho- lics, and perfect toleration pre- Monument to Leonard Calvert, Site of St. Mary's From a photograph vailed. It was for this reason per- haps that Lord Baltimore now appointed to be governor of Maryland, William Stone, a Prot- estant and a friend of the Parliament, while at the same time he appointed a council of which the majority were Protestants.
38 LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
The officers of the government as thus arranged were required in their oath of office to promise not to interfere with freedom of worship.
27. The Great Seal of Maryland. - Lord Baltimore also sent out a new Great Seal, to replace the one carried off by Ingle.
EMORE
AVALONIA BARO DEBBAITE
ABSOLVIVS . DOMINVS
TERRA . MARIA . ET. AVAL
The Great Seal of Maryland (Obverse)
From a print, copyrighted by C. C. Saffell, in the library of the Maryland Historical Society
He describes it, and states that it is very nearly like the old one. On one side was a figure representing Lord Baltimore on horse- back, clad in full armor and holding a drawn sword; around the edge was an inscription in Latin, meaning, “ Cecilius, Absolute Lord of Maryland and Avalon, Baron of Baltimore." On the
.
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"LEAH AND RACHEL "
other side were engraved the arms of the Calvert and Crossland families (Alicia Crossland was the mother of George Calvert), supported on one side by a fisherman and on the other by a ploughman, and resting on a scroll bearing the inscription, Fatti Maschii Parole Femine. This means literally, "Deeds (are) males, words females," but it is usually rendered, " Manly deeds, womanly words." Above was a count palatine's cap, surmounted by a ducal crown ; behind all was a purple mantle, surrounded by another inscription, Scuto Bon@ Voluntatis Tu@ Coronasti Nos (Ps. v. 12). This is translated, "Thou hast crowned us with the shield of thy good will," and is thought to refer to the kind- ness of the king to Lord Baltimore. In the subsequent history of the colony and state new seals were several times adopted, but the old design was restored in 1876, and "this beautiful historic device . . . still remains the seal and symbol of Mary- land."
28. The Toleration Act. - In April, 1649, the Assembly of Maryland passed the famous Toleration Act. It was called "An Act concerning Religion," and may be divided into two parts, the first of which is anything but tolerant. This first part provided that persons who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ should suffer death ; that persons who should call others by any names in a taunting manner on account of their religion should be fined or whipped ; and that persons profaning the " Sabbath or Lord's day, called Sunday," should be fined and imprisoned. The last clause, on the other hand, provided that no person in Maryland should be in any way troubled or interfered with on account of his or her religion, and that freedom of worship must not be denied to any person professing to believe in Jesus Christ.
Thus was the noble policy which Cecilius Calvert had pursued from the first formally enacted into a law. "It is not likely to have surpassed his [Calvert's] ideals, but it may easily have fallen
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
somewhat short of them." Indeed, it is probable that the last clause of the act was written by Calvert himself and passed without change, while the first part of the law was chiefly the work of the Assembly. But in any case it was exceedingly lib- eral for the times in which it was passed, and is greatly to the credit of Cecilius Calvert. The law was simply the formal state- ment of the policy of toleration which Calvert had adopted and maintained in Maryland from the start, and at a time when such a thing was nearly unheard of in the world. That he was not indifferent in matters concerning religion, but a sincere and devout Catholic, is proved by the fact that nearly all the attacks on his rights were aimed at his religion, and "He had only to declare himself a Protestant to be placed in an unassailable posi- tion ; yet that step he never took, even when ruin seemed certain. But he was singularly free from bigotry, ... and from the foundation of the colony no man was molested under Baltimore's rule on account of religion " (Browne). Two trifling cases that occurred in the early years of the province show the spirit that animated the government of Maryland. A Catholic named Lewis was tried before the governor for reproving two servants for reading a Protestant book, and fined; and several years later a Catholic named Gerrard was fined for taking away some books and a key from a chapel at St. Mary's, and the fine appropriated to the use of the first Protestant minister that should arrive.
29. The Settlement of Providence (afterward Annapolis) by the Puritans. - The policy of toleration adopted by Maryland made her naturally the home of the persecuted. Governor Stone had promised Lord Baltimore to do his best to bring five hundred new settlers into Maryland, and to fulfil his promise he now invited a large body of Puritans to come over from Virginia and settle. The Puritans were a sect of people who desired to re- form the Established Church of England by introducing certain
" LEAH AND RACHEL "
41
View of Annapolis, from the Dome of the State House From a photograph
changes in the mode of worship, or to "purify " the church ; hence they were called Puritans. They were
severely persecuted in England. A body of them that had gathered in Vir- ginia were so bitterly persecuted that they were compelled to leave the colony, and now, on the invitation of Governor Stone, they established themselves in Maryland. By 1649, a thousand Puritans
had gone over into Maryland and settled, chiefly on the beautiful river which they called the Severn. This set- tlement they named . Providence, but it was afterward called An- napolis. The region occupied by them soon became a county, and was named Anne Arun- del, in honor of Lord Baltimore's wife, who before her marriage
1
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
was Lady Anne Arundel. The new town was destined to be- come the state capital, and in later times to become famous as the seat of the United States Naval Academy.
30. The Puritan Revolution ; the Puritan Idea of Toleration. - When the Puritans applied for admission into Maryland, they were informed that nothing would be required of them save obedience to the laws, the usual quit-rents, and a promise of fidelity to the proprietary. Entire freedom of worship and the right to manage their local affairs were granted to the Puritans, not to mention a large tract of fertile and conveniently located land. Yet so strongly were the Puritans imbued with the char- acteristic bigotry and intolerance of the times, that with all their advantages they could not rest content. They were much dis- turbed to be living under a government that granted freedom of worship to Roman Catholics ; and they were greatly troubled that they must take an oath of fidelity to Lord Baltimore, yet, as the sequel shows, they were not at all distressed about break- ing the oath after they had taken it. "Singularly enough," remarks Dr. Browne, " the simple remedy of abandoning lands which they could not hold with an easy conscience seems not to have occurred to them." The conduct of the Puritans can hardly be defended, even if we make the fullest allowances for the ingrained prejudices and intolerance that undoubtedly moved them ; for they made strife from the first and did their utmost to overthrow the government that had sheltered them in their extremity, and to deny civil and religious liberty to those who had granted both freely to them.
An opportunity for making trouble was soon afforded them. Virginia was warmly attached to the cause of the king, and openly defied the Parliament and Cromwell (see Sec. 22). Accordingly, war-ships and a body of commissioners were sent out to take charge of Virginia, and receive the submission of
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"LEAH AND RACHEL"
the governor and his colony. The name of Maryland also was included in the commission, but Lord Baltimore appeared and showed that Maryland had taken no part against the Parlia- ment, and her name was accordingly stricken out. But his enemies managed to have inserted the words, "plantations within the Chesapeake," which served their purpose. You will feel no surprise at this when you know that one of the commis- sioners was Wil- liam Claiborne, the old enemy of Mary- land. He had in- deed been the adherent of the king, but the Par- liament was now supreme, and he had gone over without hesitation. Another of the commissioners was Richard Bennett, one of the Puritans Naval Academy, a New Building (Boat-house) From a photograph who had found ref- uge in Maryland and had taken an oath of fidelity to the pro- prietary. " As soon as Claiborne had disposed of the elder sister, Leah, he went to settle accounts with the youthful Rachel." Proceeding to St. Mary's, in company with Bennett, he over- turned the government and removed Stone; but the latter being popular, was afterward restored, though compelled to issue all writs in the name of the Parliament instead of that of Lord Baltimore. But when Cromwell assumed the government of England as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, the power of
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
Parliament came to an end (see Sec. 22), and Stone again issued writs in the name of the proprietary. The Puritans whom Lord Baltimore had rescued from persecution now raised a commo- tion, and back came Bennett and Claiborne to St. Mary's, in July, 1654. Stone was put out of office, and a council was ap- pointed to govern Maryland, whose president, Captain William Fuller, was a prominent Puritan.
The Puritan government summoned an Assembly, -in a way never before heard of in Maryland, for no Roman Catholic could vote or hold office. "In this way a house was obtained that was almost unanimously Puritan, and in October this novel assembly so far forgot its sense of the ludicrous as to pass a new 'Tolera- tion Act' securing to all persons freedom of conscience, pro- vided such liberty were not extended to 'popery, prelacy, or licentiousness of opinion.' In short, these liberal Puritans were ready to tolerate everybody except Catholics, Episcopalians, and anybody else who disagreed with them !" (Fiske).
31. The Battle of the Severn. - When Lord Baltimore heard of these events, he wrote to Governor Stone, reproving him for having surrendered the government without a blow. The gov- ernor then gathered a little army of one hundred and thirty men and proceeded against Captain Fuller and his party at Providence.
Fuller, being informed of his coming, gathered an army of one hundred and seventy-five men and made ready for the fight. The two little armies met on the south bank of Spa creek, an inlet of the Severn, which at present forms the southern bound- ary of Annapolis, and the battle of the Severn opened. Fuller had more men than Stone and was a better general, and was, moreover, assisted by the fire of two ships lying in the harbor at the time. The proprietary army was defeated, and the gov- ernor surrendered on a promise of quarter. The promise was
45
"LEAH AND RACHEL "
broken, Stone and nine others being condemned to death ; four were actually executed, and the rest were saved only at the request of the soldiers and by the prayers of some good women. Stone, though spared, was treated with great cruelty.
Old records tell us that Stone carried a Maryland flag in the battle of the Severn. This flag, containing the colors and characteristic design of the Great Seal, was adopted as the legal flag of the state by the General Assembly of 1904, and ordered displayed from the State House during sessions of the Assembly.
32. The Province Restored to Lord Baltimore; the Sisters Become Reconciled. - The Puritans, having thus gained complete control, seized the records of the province and the property of those who had opposed them. Vigorous efforts had been made to have Virginia restored to her old boundaries, which meant that Maryland would cease to have anything. At this time there seemed but a dark outlook for Maryland and her proprie- tary.
But the efforts of the proprietary's enemies to have his charter taken away came to nothing, for it was soon known that Crom- well was on his side. The Protector regarded himself as the lawful heir of the king, and therefore the charter was as strong under him as under the king. The government was surrendered to Lord Baltimore, on his promise not to bring the offenders to justice, and not to repeal the Toleration Act of 1649. The Puritans willingly accepted the toleration they had refused to grant. By March, 1658, the authority of Lord Baltimore was acknowledged by the whole province.
Thus ended the long struggle between the sister colonies of Maryland and Virginia, in the complete triumph of Maryland. In the course of that struggle every means possible had been brought to bear against Maryland, and her victory was due to the justice of her cause and the wisdom of her proprietary. The
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
history of Maryland and that of Virginia were always to be closely connected, but the enmity was now at an end. "Peace reigned on the shores of Chesapeake bay, the claims of Leah and Rachel were adjusted, and the fair sisters quarrelled no more." 1
TOPICS AND QUESTIONS
18. A Jealous Sister ; the Character and Plans of William Claiborne.
Name three reasons for Virginia's jealousy of Maryland.
Character of William Claiborne, and his influence on Maryland history. What were the instructions of Lord Baltimore regarding Claiborne?
What did Claiborne do after receiving the letter from Governor Calvert? Result ?
19. The Dispute Leads to Bloodshed.
Claiborne is accused of stirring up the Indians against Maryland.
The battle of the Pocomoke and its causes.
Thomas Smith defeats the Marylanders.
20. The Capture of Kent Island.
George Evelin takes charge of Kent Island for Cloberry and Company, and Claiborne goes to England.
Lord Baltimore's authority acknowledged in Kent Island, and Evelin made commander.
Smith and Butler stir up a rebellion. Capture of Kent Island.
Smith condemned to death ; Butler pardoned.
The dispute settled in England, Lord Baltimore being sustained.
Why was the claim of Lord Baltimore better than that of Claiborne ?
21. Changes in the Organization of the Assembly ; Troubles with the Indians.
Why did the proprietary allow the governor to approve laws?
In what way did the Assembly of 1639 differ from the earlier assemblies? How was the Assembly further reorganized afterward?
What was the character of laws of this age?
What Indians were unfriendly to the province?
22. The Civil War in England and the Rise of Cromwell.
Notions of the Stuart kings about the " divine rights " of monarchs. War breaks out between the king and Parliament ; the cause.
Defeat of the royal cause and death of the king.
The rise of Cromwell; he becomes Lord Protector of the Common- wealth.
Restoration of the Stuarts in the person of Charles II.
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"LEAH AND RACHEL "
23. Maryland at the Beginning of the Civil War.
What led Governor Calvert to go to England ?
What attitude did Lord Baltimore desire to take in the Civil War?
24. The Invasion of Claiborne and Ingle ; the "Plundering Time."
Richard Ingle arrested on a charge of treason.
Why did Ingle's arrest place Maryland in a very dangerous position ? How was the difficulty met?
Claiborne plots to recover Kent Island.
Governor Calvert returns from England.
Ingle captures St. Mary's, and Claiborne recovers Kent Island.
Describe the " plundering time."
Governor Calvert returns from Virginia and recaptures St. Mary's.
25. Death of Governor Calvert; He Appoints Thomas Greene to Succeed Him.
What can you say of the character of Leonard Calvert?
When did he die, and whom did he appoint to succeed him?
26. The Government Reorganized, and William Stone Appointed Governor.
Why was Stone appointed governor?
What promise was required of the officers of the reorganized govern- ment?
27. The Great Seal of Maryland.
Why was a new seal sent over?
Describe the seal as fully as possible.
28. The Toleration Act.
Name the chief provisions of the " Act concerning Religion."
Which were tolerant and which intolerant?
How far was this Act the work of Cecilius Calvert?
Tell about the cases of Lewis and Gerrard.
What reasons are there for believing that Cecilius Calvert's policy of toleration was sincere?
29. The Settlement of Providence (afterward Annapolis) by the Puritans.
Who were the Puritans ? Why did they leave Virginia?
In what part of Maryland did the Puritans settle ?
What county was erected out of this territory?
30. The Puritan Revolution ; the Puritan Idea of Toleration.
Conduct of the Puritans.
Parliament sends an expedition to reduce Virginia.
Claiborne and Bennett among the commissioners.
The Puritans in control ; William Fuller president of the council. Describe the Puritan " toleration."
31. The Battle of the Severn.
Describe the battle of the Severn, and tell its cause and results.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
32. The Province Restored to Lord Baltimore ; the Sisters Become Reconciled. The province apparently lost to Lord Baltimore. It is restored by order of Cromwell. Reasons for his action. Conditions of the surrender of the Puritans. Reasons for Maryland's triumph.
QUESTIONS FOR ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND RESEARCH
1. Draw a sketch map of Maryland showing the principal rivers and islands, St. Mary's, and Annapolis. Point out some similarities between the geography of Maryland and the geography of Virginia. What would you expect to result from these similarities ?
2. Who were Leah and Rachel? Do you think the names were suitable in speaking of Maryland and Virginia? If so, why? Were the grounds of Virginia's opposition to Maryland justly taken?
3. Was the organization of the Assembly of 1639 more convenient than that of the earlier ones ? Was it more likely to do good work ? [Give reasons for your answers.] Why are legislatures of two Houses better than those of one ? Can you think of a special reason that applied in this case ? How many Houses do legislative bodies have in the United States at the present time ?
4. Discuss the motto on the Maryland seal. Is it suitable for a state?
5. Write an account of religious toleration in Maryland. Write a character sketch of Cecilius Calvert.
REFERENCES
General - Browne's Maryland, pp. 27-35, 37-41, 50-54, 57-89. Browne's Calverts, pp. 62-82 (includes a long letter from Governor Calvert to his brother, describing the capture of Kent Island), 94-97, 127-159. Fiske's Old Virginia and Her Neighbors, Vol. I., Chapter IX. (pp. 286-318). Mereness' Maryland as a Proprietary Province - see index for topics desired.
Special - For an account of the Great Seal of Maryland, see pp. 68-69 of Steiner's Institutions and Civil Government of Maryland; and Chapter X. of Thomas's Chronicles of Colonial Maryland. For an account of the Puritan Revolution and the battle of the Severn, see Riley's The Ancient City (Annapolis), Chapters VIII. and IX. For a very full account of the Toleration Act, see B. T. Johnson's The Foundation of Maryland, Fund Publication No. 18 of the Maryland Historical Society.
CHAPTER IV
MARYLAND BECOMES A ROYAL PROVINCE
33. The Maryland Constitution. - The early history of Mary- land, the period extending from the settlement of the province to the end of the Puritan Revolution in 1658, was marked by constant change and experiment in the constitution of the gov- ernment. The opposition to Lord Baltimore's charter, the enmity of Virginia, the civil war in England, and the rebellion of the Puritans, resulted, of course, in serious disturbance ; the colony was still very weak, and neither the authority of the gov- ernor nor the constitution of the Assembly was definitely fixed. But after the final victory of Maryland and her proprietary in 1658, the government was firmly established in permanent form.
The powers which the charter granted to the proprietary were very great, as has already been pointed out (see Sec. 8). He appointed the officers to carry on his government, and estab- lished courts. The governor was his representative, and the measure of that officer's power was fixed by the proprietary. The governor was advised and assisted by a council, also ap- pointed by the proprietary. The Assembly was composed of an Upper and a Lower House. The Upper House was composed . of the governor and his council, while the Lower House con- sisted of the delegates of the people, representing counties instead of hundreds, as in the early days. There was a secre- tary who recorded the proceedings of the council, proclamations of the governor, and grants of land, and acted as clerk of the . Upper House of Assembly. There were county courts, and
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5 I
MARYLAND BECOMES A ROYAL PROVINCE
there was a Provincial Court, composed of members of the council and presided over by the governor, which tried the more important cases, and to which appeals might be taken from the county courts. The officers were mostly paid in fees, - not in coin, but in tobacco. The powers granted to the proprietary seem to us dangerously large, yet they were seldom abused.
34. The Administration of Governor Fendall, and His Re- bellion. - Before the final conclusion of peace with the Puritan rebels, Lord Baltimore appointed Josias Fendall governor of Maryland in place of Stone, perhaps because he had been very zealous in the proprietary's cause during the recent troubles. He also appointed his brother, Philip Calvert, secretary. The new governor at first seemed very active in the interest of the proprietary and the province. The Indians were threatening, and he at once organized the militia and put the province in a condition for defense. This brought the government into con- flict with the Quakers, a sect who refused to fight even in self- defense. They also held other religious beliefs which brought them into conflict with the civil government, such as their idea that it was wrong to take oaths of any kind. The Quakers were not, however, very severely treated, and seem not to have been interfered with any more than was necessary for the enforcement of the laws.
Fendall, who had worked so hard to establish the authority of the proprietary, soon engaged in a treacherous plan to overthrow it again. We feel no surprise that he should secure the help of the Assembly of 1660, when we know that three-fourths of its members were Puritans, among them our old acquaintance, Captain William Fuller. His delegation consisted of seven members, instead of the four to which his county was entitled. The Lower House first declared itself the only lawful authority within the province, and refused to acknowledge the Upper
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
House, whose members, they said, might sit with them if they chose. Fendall then surrendered his commission from Lord Baltimore and accepted another from the Assembly. The rebellion was completed by the passage of a law making it a crime for anybody to acknowledge Lord Baltimore's authority. When news of Fendall's rebellion came to Lord Baltimore he acted promptly and decisively. Charles II was on the throne of England, and from him letters were obtained commanding all persons to acknowledge the authority of the proprietary, while the governor of Virginia was ordered to assist in restoring order if necessary. Philip Calvert was appointed governor, and on the arrival of his commission the rebellion at once came to an end. Fendall was condemned to banishment, with loss of his estates, but he finally escaped with a fine and loss of the right ever to vote or hold office. He lived to plot again against the government, and years later to be banished from the province.
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