Changes in Maryland's Religious Policy

Timeline

1. 1660–1663Maryland · MarylandAfter Charles II's restoration, England strengthened the Anglican Church's position, and Maryland's Protestant majority pushed legislation in the assembly to restrict the Catholic lord's power. Lord Cecilius Calvert sought to maintain the 1649 Toleration Act, but Protestant-Catholic factional conflict within the colony became increasingly open.
2. 1664–1669St Mary's City · MarylandIn the mid-to-late 1660s, the Maryland assembly passed a series of acts requiring officeholders to swear oaths of allegiance and restricting non-Anglicans from holding key offices, effectively narrowing Catholics' political participation. Though the 1649 Toleration Act was not formally repealed, its practical effect greatly diminished, and the experiment in religious tolerance came to an end.