The Maryland Assembly convenes, and wrestles with the Lord Proprietor over the privilege of initiating legislation. Once the tussle is resolved, the Palatinate’s government enacts a raft of new laws, which provide a glimpse into the concerns that preoccupied the first Marylanders. Among these new laws are the first recognition of slaves and slavery in English North America.

Oh, and you may hear a little dog barking in the background. He’s enjoying the Adirondacks too.

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Selected references for this episode

Matthew Page Andrews, The Founding of Maryland

George Bancroft, History Of The United States Of America, Volume 1

Jonathan L. Alpert, “The Origin of Slavery in the United States – The Maryland Precedent,” The American Journal of Legal History, July 1970.