Geography
Maryland is located on the East Coast between Delaware and Virginia. Its location made it ideal of agriculture. The tidewater had left minerals in the soil from the shore to about 100 miles inland making that strip of land very fertile. The growing season was not too short, but not the longest. The warm, moist climate was perfect for growing cash crops. The broad rivers snaking throughout were perfect for transporting goods to the market.
Maryland was established in 1632 as a Catholic refuge. Lord Calvert and Lord Baltimore were given land by Charles I.
Maryland was established in 1632 as a Catholic refuge. Lord Calvert and Lord Baltimore were given land by Charles I.
Political Features
In Maryland, tensions ran high between Protestant majority and Catholic minority. In 1649, the Maryland Toleration Act was passed.
Economic Features
To make the colony profitable, Lord Calvert encouraged Protestants and Catholics to settle there. There was a shortage of labor in 1640 leading to the implementation of the head-right system guaranteeing 100 acres for a man, 100 acres for his wife, and 50 more acres for each of his children.
Tobacco was a major cash crop grown on large plantations bringing with it the brutal force of slavery. In the back country, families usually subsistence farmed eating what they grew.
Tobacco was a major cash crop grown on large plantations bringing with it the brutal force of slavery. In the back country, families usually subsistence farmed eating what they grew.
Social and Religious Features
When the colonists first arrived, the Native Americans were kind and gave them corn and shelter.
The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 provided all Christians with the right to worship but did little to enforce that. As a result, there were many conflicts between Protestants and Catholics mirroring the English Civil War because the majority were Protestant but the founders favored Catholics.
Most people lived on plantations. Children were educated at home by hired teachers who taught reading, writing, dance, and music. Boys learned to ride horses, hunt, and run plantations when they were older. Girls learned how to sow, sing, and to run the household of servants when they were older.
For those who lived in the back country, life was a bit different. No teachers were hired so some learned to read and write if their parents taught them. Most learned more practical skills such as hunting, cooking, sowing, and ploughing so that they would be able to run a household and farm.
The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 provided all Christians with the right to worship but did little to enforce that. As a result, there were many conflicts between Protestants and Catholics mirroring the English Civil War because the majority were Protestant but the founders favored Catholics.
Most people lived on plantations. Children were educated at home by hired teachers who taught reading, writing, dance, and music. Boys learned to ride horses, hunt, and run plantations when they were older. Girls learned how to sow, sing, and to run the household of servants when they were older.
For those who lived in the back country, life was a bit different. No teachers were hired so some learned to read and write if their parents taught them. Most learned more practical skills such as hunting, cooking, sowing, and ploughing so that they would be able to run a household and farm.