St Mary's Visionary Who Inspired the First Religious Freedom Laws

George Calvert (1580–1632), 1st Lord Baltimore, was an English statesman and early advocate for religious toleration. After converting to Catholicism in Protestant-dominated England, Calvert experienced the legal and social restrictions placed on Catholics and began seeking a place where people of different Christian faiths could live and worship in peace.

​

In 1632, King Charles I granted Calvert a charter to establish the Colony of Maryland in North America. Although George Calvert died before the colony was founded, his vision shaped Maryland as a refuge where Catholics and Protestants could coexist without persecution. His son, Cecilius Calvert (2nd Lord Baltimore), carried out this vision and oversaw the settlement of the colony in 1634.

To preserve peace among the settlers, the Calverts instructed colonists to respect one another’s faith and avoid religious conflict. This vision eventually led to the Maryland Act Concerning Religion (1649)—often called the Act of Toleration—one of the earliest laws in the English-speaking world to protect the free exercise of religion for Christians.

While the famous “free exercise” language comes from the 1649 law rather than from George Calvert himself, the act reflects the ideals he set in motion: a colony where faith could be practiced according to conscience rather than enforced by the state.