Program Information

One of the primary motives behind settlement of North America was the pursuit of religious freedom. Despite the fact that Catholics were always a minority in the colony, only in Maryland were Englishmen permitted to live side by side whether they were Puritan, members of the Church of England or Roman Catholic.

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Transcript

Lead: One of the primary motives behind settlement of North America was the pursuit of religious freedom.

Intro: A Moment In Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: The Puritans settled Massachusetts in order to escape what they believed was the English government's persecution because of their religious beliefs.

Once they established their settlements, however, it became clear that their idea of religious freedom was nothing close to the 20th century notions of religious toleration. The Puritans desired to be free to worship the way they pleased but if you were to live in Massachusetts, you could exercise that freedom only if you were a Puritan. If you were a member of the Church of England, a Roman Catholic, a Baptist, or, heaven forbid, a Jew, you would not be permitted to worship; at best you were considered a second-class citizen. With the exception of Roger Williams's Rhode Island, in which there was openness to a variety of Protestant worship, only in Maryland was there a serious experiment with religious toleration.

In 1632, King Charles I granted to Cecil, 2nd Lord Baltimore, a northern section of Virginia's colonial territory. To be sure, he was interested in settling Maryland as an economic venture, but he also had a religious motive: he was a Roman Catholic and looked upon Maryland as a haven for Catholics.

In pursuit of this goal, Baltimore adopted a policy of religious toleration in Maryland. Ironically, immigrants failed to bring in large numbers of Catholics. England's laws against Roman Catholics were harsh but they were rarely enforced, and though they may have caused occasional inconvenience, the vast majority of English Catholics worshipped quietly without being troubled.

Despite the fact that Catholics always were a minority in the colony, only in Maryland were Englishmen permitted to live side by side whether they were Puritan, members of the Church of England or Roman Catholic.

At the University of Richmond, I'm Dan Roberts.

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