Maryland

By Benie Bolohan, Ashley Starnes, and Lauren McCorquodale
 * The Maryland Colony**

Quick Facts · **What date was the colony founded? ** 1634  · **What was the name of the first settlement? ** St. Marys · **What group founded the colony, and why? ** Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic seeking religious freedom that was not to be found in England, and his son Cecilius, the second Lord Baltimore. · **Major Economic Activity of the Colony: ** The main sources of economic activity involves primary metals, electronics and electrical devices or equipment, and food. · **Was it a Royal, Charter, or Proprietary Colony? ** Proprietary

Some people call it Maryland, while others know it as the Old Line State. This was a nickname given to the state to honor the Maryland Line, a troop of soldiers who served in the Battle of Long Island during the Revolutionary War. These heroic soldiers were ordered to defend the Continental Army as they withdrew from battle against British troops. They succeeded and ultimately saved the American army. Today, Maryland is known for its delicious seafood, especially its blue crabs and oysters. It is also the place where Francis Scott Key wrote our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, when he saw the American flag still waving after a battle in 1814. Now Maryland, whose capital is Annapolis, is home to 5,699,478 people, but just like 12 other states, it started out as one of the small thirteen original colonies of the United States of America. Maryland was the fourth colony to be founded in the New World and continued to develop as a vast land with many farming opportunities until it created its first town, St. Marys, in 1678.

Founding of a Colony



Back in 1624, King Charles the first gave a piece of Virginia property to George Calvert, also known as Lord Baltimore. George Calvert was a Roman Catholic who wanted his religion to be more tolerated than it was in England. He went to Virginia from England for this reason, but he found that people in Virginia were not much better.  The property was given to George Calvert, but he died before the patent was drawn, so the land was given to George’s son, Cecilius, also known as the second Lord Baltimore. The second Lord Baltimore had to pay the king two arrowheads each year and had to give him one fifth of all the gold and silver mined in the colony in order to maintain possession of the land. Thus, Lord Baltimore became the first proprietor of Maryland. In 1632, two of Lord Baltimore’s brothers and two Catholic priests led a group of about twenty gentlemen and three hundred artisans and laborers over to the Americas. They came over on two ships, called the //Ark// and the //Dove.// The ships embarked on land near the mouth of the Potomac River and established Maryland for two years before establishing Maryland as a colony. Maryland was a proprietary colony because King Charles gave someone he trusted (Lord Baltimore) permission to govern it in any way they wanted, as long as the King received some of that colony’s revenue. Although Lord Baltimore the second had the power to govern Maryland any way he pleased, he still treated it as if it were a Royal colony, reporting to the King frequently and letting the King have control over major decisions.

The First Settlement At first, those who lived in Maryland owned well developed farms, plantations, and more, and didn't find it necessary to build a town until 1678. St. Marys was the first settlement, dependent on the Chesapeake Bay and the St. Mary's River. St. Marys was considered the beginning of religious tolerance due to Lord Baltimore's past with religious toleration and understanding.

Economic Activity Maryland's economy is based on government services and manufacturing metals, electronics and electrical equipment. The economy used to use the slow and steady methods of general farming and fishing to produce goods, but now it also uses the more modern method of using its raw natural resources to build products. Fishing is now one of Maryland's main income sources; the state is extremely well-known for its crabs, oysters, flounders, and other finfish. The agriculture in the region revolves mainly around the production of tobacco and the general farming of a wide variety of vegetables, including corn and many others. The farming industry used to depend heavily on indentured servants and slaves, but those are no longer a substantial portion of the economic growth of Maryland; now the state depends on machines and modern technology. Maryland is very accessible to bordering states and the District of Columbia. Maryland has many roads attaching it to the main cities, which allows easy trade. Water sources also add to the transportation methods, creating a variety of routes for easy trade and a more efficient trade system. This system adds to the value of Maryland's raw materials and makes trading cheaper.

Biography



George Calvert, the son of a farmer, was a student of Oxford, and a very successful man. He joined Parliament in 1604, was knighted in 1617, and in 1619, he became the Secretary of State. He resigned before the King died because of the population's lack of support for a Roman Catholic leader, but continued his work to create a better, stronger colony. George was born in 1578 and died on April 15, 1632. Calvert always tried to be involved in the government around him, trying to build a better society for his fellow citizens and himself. He joined Parliament, became a Secretary of State, and a Privy Counselor all before the age of forty-three. By 1625, he earned the title Baron of Baltimore. George devoted much of his life to build colonies in America and contribute to something he felt extremely important. He constantly requested to expand the colonies with a new territory, but died before the King granted it in June of 1632. His son then took on his long and hard goal to compose a new colony where civilians could believe in any religion. Cecilius Calvert made Maryland from the King's grant, and made the first of three proprietary colonies. In his fifty-four years of life, George accomplished many great deeds, including one deed that only twelve other men in the entire world were able to do; he founded one of the original thirteen colonies for his own beliefs. George Calvert was an intelligent, young politician, rejected by his society because he converted to the Catholic beliefs. He moved from one home to another in search of acceptance, which he only was able to achieve in a new land, one where he could make the rules, one where he decided that toleration would be a requirement of all people who chose to live on that land. George decided Maryland would be a place where you couldn't be discriminated against because you believed in something different than those around you. George encouraged difference, and is now known as the father of religious tolerance, which lead to the tolerance of many other obstacles the New World would encounter. Thanks to George Calvert, his son, and many others, Maryland became one of America's thirteen original colonies. Now, it is one of the fifty states of the United States of America and an excellent place to find tasty seafood.

Works Cited

Bready, James H., and James E. DiLisio. "Maryland." //Maryland//. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011. Web.12 Feb. 2011. . "Maryland." //History of the USA//. Founding Fathers, 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; tabstops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><http://www.usahistory.info/southern/Maryland.html>. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; tabstops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">"Maryland, the First Proprietary Colony." //Colonial Ancestors//. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; tabstops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><http://www.colonialancestors.com/md/proprietary.htm>. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; tabstops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">"13 Colonies Timeline 1 - Timeline Help." //Timeline Help - History Timeline//. Timeline Help, 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt; tabstops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><http://www.timeline-help.com/13-colonies-timeline.html>. Hagerty, James. "George Calvert." //The Catholic Encyclopedia.// Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 12 Feb. 2011 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03192a.htm>.

Archives of Maryland Online