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==Fighting for independence==

==Fighting for independence==

Chase played a major role in winning Maryland to the cause of independence in 1776. Maryland's revolutionary leadership - called the "popular party" - had learned that revolution without some anarchy was impossible. By June 1776, a conservative group, including Chase, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Thomas Johnson, faced a formidable problem in holding popular support. There was widespread opposition to the state government, with full-scale insurrection on the Eastern Shore and open hostility among the militia, the non-associators and the non-enrollers of the Western Shore. The new state constitution was based on extensive property qualifications, leaving all powers and franchises in the hands of the aristocratic elite. To ensure their authority, Chase and the other leaders had to popularize themselves and the revolutionary cause, which they did in two ways. First, they passed a legal tender act authorizing payment of all debts with depreciated money. Secondly, the General Court tended to deal leniently with all cases of men charged with treason, insurrection, and riot; these were invariably found guilty, fined a small amount, and released. Under the cautious policies of the new government, the strong "resentment of authority" eventually eased.<ref> Ronald Hoffman, Popularizing The Revolution: Internal Conflict And Economic Sacrifice In Maryland, 1774-1780. Maryland Historical Magazine 1973 68(2): 125-139. 0025-4258 </ref>

Chase played a major role in winning Maryland to the cause of independence in 1776. Maryland's revolutionary leadership - called the "popular party" - had learned that revolution without some anarchy was impossible. By June 1776, a conservative group, including Chase, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Thomas Johnson, faced a formidable problem in holding popular support. There was widespread opposition to the state government, with full-scale insurrection on the Eastern Shore and open hostility among the militia, the non-associators and the non-enrollers of the Western Shore. The new state constitution was based on extensive property qualifications, leaving all powers and franchises in the hands of the aristocratic elite. To ensure their authority, Chase and the other leaders had to popularize themselves and the revolutionary cause, which they did in two ways. First, they passed a legal tender act authorizing payment of all debts with depreciated money. Secondly, the General Court tended to deal leniently with all cases of men charged with treason, insurrection, and riot; these were invariably found guilty, fined a small amount, and released. Under the cautious policies of the new government, the strong "resentment of authority" eventually eased.<ref> Ronald Hoffman, "Popularizing the Revolution: Internal Conflict and Economic Sacrifice in Maryland, 1774-1780" ''Maryland Historical Magazine'' 1973 68(2): 125-139. 0025-4258 </ref>