<P> The recorded history of Maryland dates back to when Europeans began exploring the area , starting with the Italian / Venetian John Cabot ( c. 1450 -- c. 1500 ) , exploring the coast of the continent of North America for England in 1498 . The first European settlements were made in 1634 , when the English arrived in significant numbers and created a permanent colony . Maryland was notable for having been established with religious freedom for Roman Catholics . Like other colonies of the Chesapeake Bay , its economy was based on tobacco as a commodity crop , cultivated primarily by African slave labor , although many young people came from Britain as indentured servants in the early years . </P>
who formed and first came to the colony of maryland
the English