Law and Catholicism in Colonial Maryland

Montesquieu famously concluded in The Spirit of the Laws that each form of government has an animating principle—a set of "human passions that set it in motion"—and that each form can be corrupted if its animating principle is undermined. Maryland is a compelling case study of Montesquieu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Catholic historical review Vol. 103; no. 3; pp. 465 - 490
Main Author Gerber, Scott D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington The Catholic University of America Press 22.06.2017
Catholic University of America Press
Subjects
Catholicism
Colonial period-US
Colonialism
Death & dying
Freedom of religion
Law
Laws, regulations and rules
Puritanism
Religious tolerance
Social aspects
Social history
Maryland
United States > US
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Summary:Montesquieu famously concluded in The Spirit of the Laws that each form of government has an animating principle—a set of "human passions that set it in motion"—and that each form can be corrupted if its animating principle is undermined. Maryland is a compelling case study of Montesquieu s theory: founded in 1632 by Lord Baltimore as a haven for Catholics, a mere two decades later that animating principle was dead. This article explores why. More specifically, the article examines the birth, death, and resurrection of Maryland's animating principle by identifying with as much precision as possible the impact of the law itself on regime change in colonial Maryland.
ISSN:0008-8080
1534-0708
1534-0708
DOI:10.1353/cat.2017.0110