Here’s The Most Important Historical Event In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD — America is relatively young compared to other nations at 242 years old, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on historical contributions. And just as the U.S. has played a key role in shaping the world, Maryland, one of the 13 original colonies, has helped shape America into what it is today.

While Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia receive much — or most — of the recognition for their contributions to America’s founding, that doesn’t mean Maryland has been sitting idle. Annapolis served as the temporary capital of the United States after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, and the national anthem was written by Marylander Francis Scott Key about the British bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Yes, baseball legend Babe Ruth was born here, as well as President Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth. And McCormick Spices and Under Armour were founded here. But according to a new report, none of this was the most significant thing to happen in Maryland's history.

The website 24/7 Wall St., a Delaware-based company that covers financial news and offers opinions, looked over state historical information, research sources and media reports of major events throughout U.S. history to come up with what it calls the “most important” event for each state, including disasters — due to Mother Nature or people —important legislation and scientific breakthroughs. See if you agree.

In Maryland, the site says The Toleration Act of 1649 was the single most significant event in the history of the Free State, which guaranteed religious freedom.

Per 24/7 Wall St., “The colony of Maryland was settled in 1634 with the intention of expanding religious freedoms compared to England at the time. Anglicans and Catholics were often at odds, which made it a surprise when the charter for Maryland was given to a Catholic family from the Anglican King James.

Maryland sealed its reputation as a haven for religious liberty when it passed the Toleration Act, which said that no one who “professes to believe in Jesus Christ, shall from henceforth be any way troubled, harassed or embarrassed for … his or her religion.” That may seem restrictive by today’s standards, but it was a big step in the 17th century.

Tell Us: What local and state events were significant in the history of Maryland. Tell us what you think in the comments.

Other major events you may recognize from around the country include the opening of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919 in Arizona, the desegregation of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City.

“Many of the events on our list are tragic, including the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands — the Trail of Tears in the South — as well as attacks from domestic and foreign terrorists,” the site says.

“In the case of several states, fighting between white settlers and Native Americans ranked as the most important historical event. The treatment of indigenous people shaped America in many ways, and often occurred in frontier states.”

Some events technically happened before the area was formally established as a state, but those events were still considered due to the prominence of that event, such as the founding of the Jamestown settlement in present-day Virginia. Also of note, the site ignored events that simply happened in a state that could’ve happened anywhere else and had the same impact, such as an international treaty signing.

To see the full list of events that shaped the nation, with pictures, to boot, click here.

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo credit: A fireworks display concludes a ceremony to commemorate the bicentennial of the writing of The Star-Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry National Historic Park on September 13, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. The poem verses were written by Francis Scott Key in the War of 1812, during a British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry from the Chesapeake Bay, and adopted as The National Anthem 200 years ago. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)