Rodger Williams Informative Essay: Rhode Island

Unlike Chesapeake, the New England colonies were founded by a strict puritan named John Winthrop who stayed in the New England region. These colonies faced a few rebellions by two different activists with different ideas, causing waves throughout the community. One, a man by the name of Roger Williams believed in separating church and state to keep religion pure. The second, a woman by the name of Anne Hutchinson refuted the validity of some of the ministers. In a less gory fashion, both were

Lastly, Roger Williams is a strong supporter of religious liberty. Religious liberty is another example on how Williams believed the people should be able to practice their own religion, not have it decided by the government. He protests that “civil authority should be limited to civil matters and that magistrates had no jurisdiction over the soul” (174). Meaning that the government does not have the right to enforce religious duties on people, to let them believe on their own. Williams put it as wanting to “build a wall of separation between state and church in order to keep the holy and pure religion of Jesus Christ from contamination by the slightest taint of earthly support” (Miller 174). This was the main argument of Williams that caused him to become unwelcome in both Plymouth and Boston. John Winthrop did not oppose to dissent just that there needed to be limits set. He worried that if dissent was not kept within bounds, it would undermine the community and that integrity of the community demanded religious conformity. Winthrop believes challenges to religious authority could undermine the political

Both the original Puritans and Puritan Separatists escaped their home country for religious reasons. The Puritans who came from Anglia, England to ultimately settle in Massachusetts Bay left because they felt that the Church of England had not separated itself enough from its Catholic roots. One of the Chesapeake colonies, ironically enough, was mainly founded on the religious persecution the people of Massachusetts Bay had imposed upon them. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams and later became home to Anne Hutchinson, both showing motions of antinomianism. Maryland was another colony in the Chesapeake region that was founded on religious purposes.

Roger Williams, born in London in 1603, influenced the United States through his efforts to create religious freedom and through his establishment of Rhode Island. Before coming to America, Williams was able to receive an education at Pembroke College at Cambridge University, receiving various scholarships for his merit in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. At the time of his marriage to Mary Barnard in 1629, Williams had already been a name known throughout Europe for his ideals on religious acceptance. His religious tolerance sprung from his lifelong desire for a closer relationship with God. Although these strong beliefs caused many problems for him—including getting banished from places like Massachusetts—he never let them go. He let them fuel

Dissent always existed in the New England Colonies; the Puritans rarely all agreed on one point. Differing theological opinions forged a schism between groups and lead to the creation of colonies such as Rhode Island. As they stressed literacy, individuals formed their own impressions of the gospel. Minister Roger Williams, for example, disagreed with the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Indian relations and lack of religious freedoms. Roger Williams wrote this on the matter, “God requireth not a uniformity of religion to be enacted and enforced; which enforced uniformity sooner or later is the greatest occasion of civil war.”

Also, he was a supporter of members of the Free Will Baptist movement. He was kicked out by the Puritan leaders because they thought that he was spreading ideas which threatened the fragility of the Puritans. So, he began a colony known as Providence Plantation which was a refuge for religious minorities.

There are many elements to consider when discussing the establishment of the New England Colonies. For one, a number of English Puritans, in an organization called the Massachusetts Bay Company, decided to migrate to America, in hopes of a more favorable financial environment. In 1629, after much deliberation and an offer to pay out the original group of prospective settlers, only some of the Puritans agreed to travel to America, with an aspiration to concoct a Puritan sanctuary. A year later, they journeyed to New England with a charter from Charles I and with John Winthrop as their governor. The New England Puritans continued to be bound to their religious roots, but there were a few variations; the long-established worshipping practices that England maintained were not favored, and the notion of predestination spread. Over time, the Massachusetts Bay Company prospered, and it rapidly grew in size. Another important historical figure was named Anne Hutchinson, and she disputed matters regarding religion and women’s rights. Additionally, the Native Americans and the English settlers lived harmoniously and they assisted one another. Until, numerous wars occurred causing a rift between the two cultures. Some of these disturbances were called the Pequot War and King Phillip’s War.

Although many of the people who came to the new world were from a similar English origin, what they found in the colonies they settled determined what they could and could not do. Factors like temperature and geography played a huge role in things such as farming. In the south, the un-unified people failed to create as stable a colony as those in the North. Large flocks of servants came to the Chesapeake region to work the plantations, these men came seeking riches and glory but most found neither while few grew very Rich. New England did not have this type of workforce.

One of the many distinct differences between the societies of the Chesapeake and New England were the religions of the settlers. While many in the Chesapeake were Anglican, the majority of colonists in New England were Puritans. For example, John Winthrop, leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was a fervent Puritan. While still aboard the Arabella in 1630, he wrote that his colony “...shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us…” (Document A). This means that he wanted the colony to be a model Christian

English settlements along the eastern seaboard later became the thirteen colonies which would form the US. To establish a presence in North America, England relied on private trading companies, one in particular, the Virginia Company, established the country’s first permanent settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Puritans, reformers who wished to “purify” the Church of England, settled in New England but their efforts lacked success and some wanted to split from the church. Among those who desired to split from the church were William Bradford and John Winthrop who both assisted in bringing new settlers to the colonies. The Puritans’ values of hard work, thrift, and responsibility led to thriving settlements and financial success.

The New England colonies were founded by English Puritans, and a small group of Puritans, called Separatist, sailed to Plymouth on the May Flower in 1620. Next, John Winthrop founded the Massachusetts Bay in 1630. Nonetheless, all of this didn’t come easy to them. In the winter of 1620 – 1621, only forty – four Plymouth pilgrims survived out of 102. The Massachusetts Bay was not a democracy because Winthrop believed common people couldn’t rule. Also, people who challenged the church

The religious intolerance found in the Bay Colonies lead to the colony of Rhode Island being founded by Roger Williams, a Separatist who desired to completely break away from the Church of England, unlike his Puritan counterparts. To make matters worse for the Puritan leaders, Williams also questioned the taking of the Native’s land and the authority the civil government held over religious practices. The Puritan leaders found the last point very dangerous because it undermined the exact idea of government to the Puritans. His radical views resulted in Puritans leaders banning him from the Bay Colony and from there he set off on his journey of finding and constructing the colony of Rhode Island. Due to the adversity Williams experienced while

One major difference I have noticed from living in the two different areas is in the attitude of the people and environment. Compared to more conservative states like South Dakota, the people of Rhode Island are much more open minded. A lot of the people in the city are much more open to growth, change, or stepping outside of their comfort zones. Whereas here in South Dakota, residents become accustomed to more sheltered environments; for example the small

The harbor created a trading zone that many settlers saw as an economic resource (Source 6). Although this vision of New Haven being a major trade harbor was diminished when larger cities such as Boston began to trade (Source 3), the harbor still controlled movement throughout the town of New Haven. One example of this movement would be that the first settlers went in and out of New Haven through the harbor and after the settlement was well established many immigrants from Europe immigrated through the harbor as well. Today the harbor is still used for some trade as well as recreation. Lastly, the regional definition in regards to New Haven’s geography can be defined as the coastal region of Connecticut. However, when it was first established the region was much more

Roger Williams was born in London, circa 1603, during a period of intense religious intolerance. After finishing school in England, he traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, initially to be a missionary. His radical views on religious freedom and disapproval of the practice of confiscating land from the Native Americans earned him the wrath of church leaders and he was banished from the colony. With his followers, he fled to Narragansett Bay, where he purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a new colony, which became a haven for Baptists, Quakers, Jews and other religious minorities. Nearly a century after his death, Williams's notion of religious freedom and the separation of church and state inspired the framers