History quiz

Why was Chesapeake colony founded?

Religious Freedom for Catholics

The Calvert family, staunch English Catholics, had lost fortunes and opportunities due to their faith. George Calvert, the 1st Baron of Baltimore, was imprisoned several times for his Catholic belief. Calvert envisioned Maryland as a refuge for English Catholics, who were subjected to fines and other civil penalties for their religious practices. He sought a proprietary charter to establish a Catholic colony in America as a "land where, not only the soil there would be mine, but also the people also."