July 27: Coode's Rebellion

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is July 27th, and our story is Coode's Rebellion. Charity isn't always its own reward. Just ask Charles Calvert, the third Lord of Baltimore. Calvert, like his father before him, governed the colony of Maryland in the late 17th century with a mind toward religious tolerance. Yes, he tended to favor Catholics and concentrated political power in Catholic hands. But Calvert never established Catholicism as the colony's official religion, nor did he make life difficult for Protestants.

Rather, he welcomed them to Maryland, especially those, like the Quakers, who were less than fond of the Church of England. Unfortunately for Maryland's Catholics, the Calverts were perhaps a little too welcoming. By 1688, the year of England's glorious revolution, Protestants far outnumbered Catholics in Our Lady's colony. And when Maryland's government was slow to celebrate the victory of England's new Protestant monarchs, William and Mary, more than a few of the colony's subjects took offense. Chief among those was John Coode. In 1681, Coode attempted to overthrow Calvert by spreading tales of a Jesuit and Indian plot to eliminate Protestants from Maryland.

It was nonsense, and everyone, Protestants included, recognized it as such. In 1689, however, Coode tried it again, this time with greater success. In July of that year, Coode formed the Protestant Associators, ostensibly to defend Maryland's Protestants from more fictional Indian attacks.

Seven hundred men joined with him, and on July 27, 1689, they seized the colony's statehouse. They then convinced the pro-Calvert officers and colonial officials, who were holed up in the nearby fort, to surrender without a fight. By August 1, 1689, Coude and the Protestant Associators controlled the colony. In short order, successive governments passed laws banning the practice of Catholicism and public masses, and forbidding Catholics to vote or hold public office.

Across the pond, the Calverts lost their royal charter, and the British Crown took charge of the colony. Not until the American Revolution could Catholics again openly practice their faith and exercise the full rights of citizenship in the colony they had founded.

Coode's Rebellion illustrates the risks of majority overreach and the vulnerability of minority communities. Maryland's Catholics endured persecution, yet their persistence ensured eventual restoration of rights. Historical examples of resilience like this guide us in balancing justice, civic responsibility, and religious liberty today. Identify one principle of fairness or tolerance in your life or work that may be under pressure. How can you uphold it thoughtfully?

Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, July 28th, for another story of faith and courage in America.