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George Calvert was an Englishman who sought a place for religious freedom. For years his family practiced the Roman Catholic faith in secret while openly participating in the Church of England. Calvert received a land grant from King Charles I and territory in America. Calvert and his son son Cecelios carried out his dream of establish a colony in America as a refuge for Catholics: Maryland was founded in 1634 and. With England in the hands of Puritans and Protestants beginning to outnumber Catholics in Maryland, the colony's legislature passed an Act of Toleration to ensure the religious liberty of Maryland's Catholics. The Maryland Toleration Act did not bring complete religious freedom and rhe Catholics in originally Catholic Maryland had become a minority of the population although still power1ul politically. They were in great danger of being ill-treated by the Protestant majority. Still, the Act of Toleration is an important part of the colonial legacy of religious freedom that will culminate in the First Amendment in the American Bill of Rights.