Maryland Toleration Act

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The Maryland Toleration Act, also known as the "Act Concerning Religion" was a law passed in 1649 by the colonial assembly of the Province of Maryland mandating religious toleration of all Christian denominations. As the first such law, it is often seen as a precursor to the First Amendment.

In 1649, Maryland was the most religiously diverse of the English colonies, having been founded as a Catholic haven and populated by a large number of Protestants. The Calverts, who founded Maryland, needed to attract settlers to make the colonial venture profitable, meaning that Protestants would be immigrating. In order to protect the Catholics who originally founded the colony and who were being rapidly outnumbered, the Calverts threw their support behind the Act Concerning Religion, essentially an effort to secure religious freedom for Catholics.The Act allowed freedom of worship for all Christians in Maryland in order to help keep the peace between the Protestants and Christians. While the Act prevented outright persecution for a long time, it failed to prevent a political struggle over the control of the colonial assembly.

Though this law protected Christian churches, it made denying the divinity of Jesus a capital crime. Thus, Maryland after the Act Concerning Religion actually had less religious toleration.