Maryland In 1632, a piece of paper was given to an Englishman named Cecil Calvert. This paper was a charter from King Charles I, and it permitted Calvert to establish a colony in the New World. (“Maryland Colony”) The colony he established was Maryland. This charter founded what would later became one of fifty states American states. Maryland started from the bottom, and this is the story of how it got to the top. Cecil Calvert was the second Lord of Baltimore, and he had a vision. In his vision, he wanted Maryland to be a place where Catholics could escape religious prosecution. On November of 1633, 17 men and their families sailed two ships led by Calvert’s brother. (“Maryland Colony”) Although a charter was given, Maryland was also a proprietary colony. A proprietary colony is one that is granted by a king to a group or individual. Lord Baltimore I died before he could sign the document, so his son stepped up. (“Proprietary Colonies.”) …show more content…
Many Puritans began settling in 1642 and outnumbered the Catholics rather quickly. Although the population was mostly puritan and catholic, there was no set religion in the colony. (“Maryland Colony”) The economy, like most southern colonies, was based on agriculture. They grew cotton, tobacco, corn, indigo, and other crops on plantations. Many people in the southern colonies owned plantations, which slaves did most of the labor. (“Maryland Colony”) Britain relied on the colonies as source of raw materials, such as lumber and tobacco. It was important for the province to export these resources. (“The American