Maryland was the first proprietary government. George Calvert, the first Baron Baltimore, was a Roman Catholic who was discriminated against in England. He asked for and was granted a charter to found a new colony in North America. Upon his death, his son, the second Baron Baltimore Cecilius Calvert, also called Lord Baltimore, founded Maryland in 1634. He created a government where he made the laws with the consent of the freemen landowners in the colony. A legislative assembly was created to consent to the laws passed by the governor. There were two houses: one of freemen and the second consisted of the governor and his council.
