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Annotations / Notes: Considered from afar, Maryland's Toleration Act (1649) reinforces the nation's long tradition of religious toleration and moderation; or does it? After examining the wording of the act, and the history of toleration prior to 1649, the author points out that the act was repealed in 1654, and, while the repeal was itself repealed soon after, toleration would continue in force only until 1696, when the Church of England was established as the sole religious establishment in the Province. Caught in the rivalry between the resurgent Puritans and the Catholics at mid-century, religious toleration was on shaky grounds from the beginning. With the ascendancy of the Anglican Church in 1696, things grew worse for Catholics, and more legislation was adopted in the ensuing years restricting their ability to practice their religion publicly. Religious toleration for Christians was re-introduced in the state Constitution of 1776 and expanded to include Jews fifty years later.

Annotations / Notes: The first of a three volume institutional study of the Maryland General Assembly based primarily on legislative sources. After establishing the legislative inheritance based upon the English experience, this study focuses on the emergence of the assembly in colonial Maryland as a political force, often in opposition to the Proprietor's efforts to maintain his power and privileges. Among the topics covered are the Glorious Revolution, Maryland as a Royal Colony, the restoration, and the various events leading up to the Revolution and independence. The book ends with a chapter on government by convention between 1774 and 1776 and the departure of Governor Eden.

Annotations / Notes: Fausz's introduction to a special issue of the Maryland Historical Magazine on the occasion of the 350^th anniversary of the founding of the Maryland colony notes that there has been a renaissance in seventeenth-century Chesapeake studies, notable for the range of topics about early colonial life being investigated. The unique quality of seventeenth-century experience consisted in the ambivalence created by heritage and ties to the homeland culture of England, yet the significant adaptation required to New World conditions. The introduction sets the stage for articles by Lois Green Carr on political developments, John D. Kruger on religion, and Russell R. Menard on social and economic trends.

Annotations / Notes: Fausz examines relations between Europeans (especially the English of Maryland and Virginia) and Native Americans of the Chesapeake region in the decade immediately preceding the settlement of the Maryland colony at St. Mary's in 1634. He argues that the interaction between Englishmen and Native Americans provided the basis for tobacco cultivation and the beaver fur trade. Both paved the way for successful adaption of the early English settlers to new American conditions.