During the 17th century, thirteen British colonies rose along the east coast of North America. Diverse people settled in those colonies for various reasons: economic gain, seeking religious freedom, escaping their hometown, etc. With those different people, the colonies became unique; Distinctions in religion and government of the colonies, two frequently-intertwined factors, shaped the individual characteristics of states of the modern day. Massachusetts Bay and Maryland were built upon Puritanism and Catholicism respectively, and the levels of religious tolerance and the resulting political atmosphere determined the dominance of each religion in these colonies; these religious and political standings shaped the modern societies in America.
Puritans in Massachusetts Bay and Catholics in Maryland demonstrated different levels of religious tolerance due to various political factors; the effects of their actions persist today in ironic ways. Puritan beliefs were rigorously enforced in everyday life. Church attendance was strictly mandatory, those who failed to attend regularly were subject to a fine. Crimes were severely punished, adhering to the Puritans’ beliefs in the Old Testament. Public whippings, humiliation, and executions were common. Interestingly, despite arriving at the New World seeking religious freedom for themselves, Puritans did not have high religious tolerance. Those opposed to the Puritan beliefs were banished; an example is Anne Hutchinson, a woman who was expelled from the colony for claiming that she had spoken to God directly. Her claim threatened the validity of Puritan beliefs, and therefore she was exiled from the colony. Some exceptions were made for the economy as there were many dissenters with essential skills for vibrant commerce living on the outskirts of the colony. The Salem Witch Trials in 1672 only further demonstrated their distaste towards non-Puritan beliefs and extreme punishments. Similarly to Massachusetts Bay, Maryland was a colony established for the Catholics. It was the norm for dominant religious groups to persecute other religions in England and the Catholics were not exempt from persecution. Therefore, in 1632, Cecelius Calvert gained possession of the land in Maryland and decided to create a haven-like colony for Catholics. However, Catholics soon became outnumbered by Protestants because the economic opportunity Maryland held attracted individuals — mostly Protestants — looking to make profit instead of Catholics. The House of Delegates passed the Act Concerning Religion, alternatively the Maryland Toleration Act, in 1649, which protected the religious freedom of anyone who believed in the Holy Trinity. Unlike Puritans, Catholics failed to exert prolonged dominance. Ironically, both colonies directly or indirectly contributed to the establishment of religious freedom. The Maryland Act of Toleration set to protect Catholics was an important part of future religious freedom in the First Amendment and the American Bill of Rights. Roger Williams, who was banished from Massachusetts Bay for believing in complete religious freedom, established Rhode Island where religious freedom was the norm. In a way, Puritans’ low religious tolerance provided an opportunity for religious freedom to be established in America.
Religion affected politics and vice versa was true as well. Political environments in Massachusetts Bay and Maryland influenced the religious statuses of the colonies — either maintaining or dismantling it — and different effects of those political environments can be seen in Massachusetts and Maryland today. In Massachusetts Bay, the Puritans established a theocratic government: the General Court. Maryland had the House of Delegates, which was initially composed of Catholics. Evidently, religion and state were very much integrated. Many governmental leaders such as John Winthrop and John Cotton actively sought to purify their community and demonstrated no tolerance to different political ideas— Roger Williams, for example, was banished due to his belief in the separation of state and religion. Remarkably, the beginnings of American democracy showed through how Puritans organized their towns: most decisions were made in town hall meetings and through voting. On the other hand, the political dynamics did not favor Catholics. The atmosphere shifted dramatically as Catholics were outnumbered by the Protestants in the colony and the legislatures. Eventually, in a rebellion in 1689, the Protestants overthrew the original government and started a period of royal control. In 1715, Maryland was run by Calverts again, who had converted to Protestantism. Even the Maryland Act of Toleration was eventually repealed in 1692 by the Protestant legislatures. The Church of England was established during the royal colony period from 1692 to 1715. This change marked the end of political dominance of Catholics. Though the town hall system of Puritans was far from true democracy — because the town hall meetings excluded women because of Puritan belief in male supremacy— it was a step towards American democracy. The democratic nature of this structure also translated to the highly democratic population in New England.
Puritanism and Catholicism in Massachusetts Bay and Maryland were part of the foundations that shaped the American identity through their diverse religious beliefs and political ideas interacting with each other. The Puritans laid out a relatively democratic structure in their colony. Maryland passed one of the earliest religious toleration acts. The low religious tolerance gave birth to religiously free colonies. Despite the self-centeredness of many of these decisions, each of them progressed America forward. The diversity of religion, freedom of speech and opinions, and the democratic structure of the United States have all been built upon the previous trials and errors that occured in these very colonies.