Page "Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland" Paragraph 6

Although Eden had some sympathy with the colonists ' grievances, he was firmly opposed to armed opposition to the Crown.

In the event, Maryland was the only state that did not forcibly eject its last proprietary governor from office, choosing instead a formal and largely courteous transfer of power.

By 1775 Eden's authority had been effectively usurped by the Annapolis Convention and Eden was eventually asked by the Maryland Council of Safety to step down as governor.

The Maryland Convention had been pressed by the Continental Congress ( and the Virginians in particular ) to arrest and detain Eden but they demurred, preferring to avoid such an " extreme " measure.

Instead they argued that: