Freedom of Religion: THe Maryland Toleration Act Essay

During pre-Revolutionary America there were efforts made to attain not only political liberty but also religious freedom. The booming dissenting churches in Virginia had presented several pleas against religious discrimination to the Virginia House of Burgesses in the 1750s and 1706s. Some of Virginia’s statesmen and politicians included James Madison and Thomas

In the documentary A New Eden: God in America, the class was given the opportunity to explore America’s chase to religious freedom and the political challenges it took to achieve such and opportunity where people for the first time were given a chance to seek religious faith that was not imposed upon them, but one that they can personally choose to live for themselves. The problem that would come about during the arrival Catholic immigrants’ as it was thought to believe their arrival would come to oppose the very religious they worked so hard for, while from their perspective they were merely trying to live an average life in America with all it has to offer just like everyone has. The challenge was most expressed in a judicial case of public

While many are unaware, the Protestant Reformation continues to be impactful in how people in America today view freedom, government, and rights. In general, the Reformation has played a role on the construction of America’s social order and diversity, the day-to-day natural life, and religious freedom. Beginning with the American Constitution, the foundation of Christianity (unversed in any other part of the world), unites religious moral standards with the American way of thinking regarding cultural diversity, equal rights, religious belief, and sexual characteristics.

The significant reasons for instituting religious tolerance was that Catholics and Protestants followed the first colonists to American. There were many religious conflicts between the beliefs of the Catholics and the Protestants. Lord Baltimore created a Toleration Act of 1649, attempt to reduce conflicts among the two religious groups. The Toleration Act of 1649 made it a crime to restrict the religious rights of Christians and was the first law supporting religious tolerance passed in the English colonies. Maryland set up this law to show that all Christians could live together in peace that was unknown in England. The Toleration Act did not stop all religious conflict, but it helped show that the government some religious freedom and protected

Maryland was founded in 1634 and was the first proprietary colony, given by the king to Sir George Calvert, a prominent Englishman, for creation of a Catholic haven. Eventually, growth of Protestants meant Catholics became a minority; Catholics feared loss of religious freedom leading to the adoption of the Act of Toleration in 1649, guaranteeing tolerance to all Christians. Catholics sought to protect their faith by granting a certain degree of religious freedom with Maryland becoming the largest haven for Catholics in the British American colonies. After England’s “Glorious Revolution” of 1688, which established the Protestant faith in England, Catholicism was outlawed in Maryland until after the Revolutionary War. The Puritan government

In 1649, The Maryland legislature adopted this law known as ‘‘An Act Concerning Religion.’’ The Maryland Toleration Act is considered as the beginning of religious freedom in America. This law granted freedom of conscience to all Christians, it law was designed to protect Christians in the Maryland colony. The Maryland Toleration Act said that “no person or persons whatsoever within this Province, professing to believe in Jesus Christ, shall from henceforth be any ways troubled, Molested or discountenanced for or in respect of his or her religion nor in the free exercise thereof.’’ At the time, Catholics faced severe persecution in England. This law would show that the Catholics and Protestants could live in harmony unknown in Europe. Thus,

In this article, William H. Browne is able to present how crucial and beneficial the Maryland Act Concerning Religion of 1644 was during the religious-political battles of the English Civil War. The article expressed how the act was a huge milestone in the early history of religious freedom in America and how at the time it helped reestablish order in Maryland by institutionalizing the principle of toleration that had prevailed from the colony's beginning. More specifically, the act provided punishment for anyone who "troubled or molested" a Christian for religious reasons which would consequently help establish harmony amongst the different religions of the time. The article goes on to say

In the book God and Race in American Politics, Mark Noll makes his thesis very clear. Noll states that “First, race has always been the most influential elements in American political history, and in many periods absolutely the most influential. Second, religion has always been crucial for the workings of race in American politics.” He proceeds to describe in detail how both of these thoughts make the decisions of Americans, and they go on to determine this powerful political influence. In American politics, we have yet to see a time where these two factors did not determine major political decisions. Throughout the book Noll continues to reveal

"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

It is with his first few sentences that author, Nathan Hatch, lets the readers know about the scope and the reason for his book The Democratization of American Christianity. Nathan Hatch, who is currently the president of Wake Forest University in Wake Forest, NC and was previously the dean and provost at Notre Dame, states, “This book is about the cultural and religious history of the early American republic and the enduring structures of American Christianity. It argues both that the theme of democratization is central to understanding the development of American Christianity, and that the years of the early republic are the most crucial in revealing that process.” (3) The freedom and liberty that were experienced by people in America’s infancy bled into all aspects of life: government, family, and religion. It was this freedom that gave many in the church the boldness to either go and start churches, or serve as a leader in the church: things that were not an option during their time in England. A great deal of church growth in early America can be attributed to this freedom and the conversion of the masses to the various denominations that were available to the early Americans, choices that they did not have while in England. In telling the story of the growth of Protestantism in America, Hatch regales the readers with stories and information about a fascinating time in the history of the American Protestantism. It was a time filled with such varied and unique

Many people tend to not fathom how religion plays such a powerful role within our world today. It even played a powerful role in the beginning of the United State hundreds of years ago when it was founded. Religion intertwined in the social development in America since the very beginning. We see religion animatedly in World War II, when many religious leaders risked their own lives to fight in a war that hurt so many people. In the book “The Religious History of America” by Edwin Gaustad and Leigh Schmidt, it is publicized that even two decades after the war, religion helped with sparking one of the most influential parts of America’s history. The Civil Rights Movement.

“Religion is often still another determinant of political behavior, and in many societies, plays a role in the formation of social and political values, especially when religions diversity is present”. (Camp.1993.Pg. 86) Even though the pre-dominance of Catholicism has strong religious differences, it can be described as a battle between secularism and religion.

Additinally, table 3 stresses the religious affialition of Presidents by periods (James D. Davidson,Rachel Kraus,Scott Morrissey:487), this table affirms that 47 percent of American Presidents have belonged to the Protestant Establishment (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregational) which is the highest rate comparing, to Other Colonial Elites (Unitarian and Quaker) who account for 14 percent of United States’ Presidents, and to Other Protestants (Baptists, Methodists, Disciples of Christ, and Dutch Reformed) with 30 percent of the American Presidents. All these statistics and numbers are another prove of the dominance of Protestantism in the American political life.

Focusing on the major contributions of dissenting minority religions and the collective efforts of non-elite followers, Buckley breaks with the trend of ignoring the vast majority of Virginia colonists on subjects not named the Great Awakening. However, his work slips into the realm of presentism with a strong hint of bias when he discusses the uneasy alliance between colonial rationalists and evangelicals in their fight for disestablishment. Buckley argues that although they agreed on many issues, they disagreed on the relationship of church and state. While rationalists believed in a total separation, “the intent of the evangelicals was not a complete separation of church and state in rationalist terms nor the privatization of religion.” His underlying argument is clear; the United States owes its freedom of religion not to the ‘Founding Fathers’ but to the populace of Virginia, many of whom associated themselves with a ‘dissenting’ religion who believed in the freedom of voluntary association and the continuation of some form a church/state relationship. Buckley, the Jesuit priest writing in the 1970s, was supporting an argument for increased church activity in the public sphere by arguing that the legal and academic fields had misrepresented the intentions of colonial Americans by emphasizing too much on the intent of Revolutionary leaders.

history is built on ‘freedom of religion, not freedom from religion’” (March, 6). An oppression of a dominant religion contradicts the First amendment of freedom of religion, but a “minor” faith is allowed to gain equal influence over Americans as a superior church has. No one, even Government, can take away someone’s right of faith; however, they can build on an existing religion. This will allow any church to become as important as the predominant religion. A belief cannot be forced to accept other social aspects to allow free will and choice. President Kennedy’s Speech assured, “[he] believes in a President whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or by the nation up as a condition to holding the office” (Kennedy, 9). President Kennedy’s religion is his own private affair; he cannot use his faith to influence the works of the government. In the same way, he cannot use his position of power to influence his church. Voters should not elect a candidate because of the religion he chooses to follow. There cannot be an election between Christianity and Muslims or Islam and atheism. If this type election took place, the dominating church impose other the citizens to either fully convert other to the leading religion or change their belief to match the particular faith. Pope Francis refers to devotees of a specific belief “We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual