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The Common Law of Colonial America$
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William E. Nelson

Print publication date: 2008

Print ISBN-13: 9780195327281

Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: September 2008

DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327281.001.0001

The Battle for Maryland

Chapter:
(p. 101 ) 6 The Battle for Maryland
Source:
The Common Law of Colonial America
Author(s):

William E. Nelson (Contributor Webpage)

Publisher:
Oxford University Press
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327281.003.0007

Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose New England law on the province. When Lord Baltimore, the Catholic proprietor, regained control, economic forces similar to those in Virginia pushed Maryland's planters to emulate the legal system of their southerly neighbor. The end result was that Maryland developed a common-law based legal order that focused on obtaining labor from servants, collecting debts, and thereby encouraging English investors to lend money to Maryland planters.

Keywords:   common law, debts, investors, labor, Lord Baltimore, Maryland, planters, Puritans, Roman Catholic, servants

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