Event

Maryland Toleration Act

1649 · 17th century

The Maryland Toleration Act, passed by the colony's assembly in April 1649, guaranteed freedom of worship to Christians who believed in the Trinity. Promoted by the Catholic proprietor Cecil Calvert, it protected the Catholic minority among a growing Protestant population, though it threatened death for anyone denying the divinity of Jesus. Repealed in 1654 and later restored, it is an early landmark of religious toleration in America.

Maryland Toleration Act
Image: Assembly of the Province of Maryland · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Province of Maryland

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Maryland Toleration Act. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/maryland-toleration-act
MLA
“Maryland Toleration Act.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/maryland-toleration-act. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Maryland Toleration Act.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/maryland-toleration-act.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Maryland Toleration Act’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/maryland-toleration-act (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻