Providence Plantation was an English colony founded in 1636 by
Roger Williams on land gifted by the Narragansett and Pequot tribes.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Discuss the founding of the Rhode Island Colony and Providence Plantations.
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
In 1636 Roger Williams fled religious persecution in Massachusetts to establish Rhode Island as a
refuge of religious tolerance.
Rhode Island was built on land gifted by the Narragansettand Pequot tribes.
King Philip's War led to bloodshed between colonists and the Narragansett, who burned the
capital of Providence.
TERMS [ edit ]
Narragansett
The Narragansett are an Algonquian Native American tribe from Rhode Island. Historically the
Narragansett were one of the leading tribes of New England, controlling the west of Narragansett
Bay in present­day Rhode Island, and also portions of Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts,
from the Providence River on the northeast to Pawcatuck River on the southwest.
Roger Williams
Roger Williams (c. 1603 – between January and March 1683) was an English Protestant
theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and
state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for
religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America, the First Baptist Church
of Providence. He was a student of Native American languages and an advocate for fair dealings
with Native Americans. Williams was arguably the very first European abolitionist in North
America, having organized the first attempt to ban slavery in any of the original thirteen colonies.
Dominion of New England
The Dominion of New England in America (1686–89) was an administrative union of English
colonies in the New England region of North America.
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The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English
Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America . Providence Plantation was
an American colony of English settlers founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a theologian,
independent preacher, and linguist on land gifted by the Narragansett and Pequot tribes.
Williams, fleeing from religious persecution in theMassachusetts Bay Colony, agreed with his
fellow settlers on an egalitarian constitution providing for majority rule in civil issues and
liberty of conscience. He named the colony Providence Plantation, believing that God had
brought him and his followers there. "Plantation" in this 17th century sense was a synonym
for "settlement" or "colony,"—not to be confused with its 18th and 19th century definition as a
slave­holding estate. Williams named the other islands in the Narragansett Bay after virtues:
Patience Island, Prudence Island, and Hope Island.
A map of the colony of Rhode Island, with the adjacent parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay,
&c.
A map of the colony of Rhode Island, with the adjacent parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, &c.
In 1637, the Baptist leader Anne Hutchinson purchased land on Aquidneck Island from
the Native Americans, settling in Pocasset, now known as Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The
second of the plantation colonies on the mainland was Samuel Gorton's Shawomet Purchase
of 1642 from the Narragansetts. Other neighboring settlements of refugees followed, all of
which formed a loose alliance. They sought recognition together as an English colony in 1643
in response to threats to their independence
In 1644, Roger Williams secured a land patent establishing the Incorporation of Providence
Plantations in the Narragansett Bay. The patent covered much of the territory that would
eventually make up the State of Rhode Island and specifically included the English towns of
Providence, Portsmouth and Newport. The separate plantation colonies in the Narragansett
Bay region were very progressive for their time, passing laws abolishing witchcraft trials,
imprisonment for debt, most capital punishment, and on May 18, 1652,chattel slavery of
both blacks and whites. The colonists refused to have a governor, instead setting up an
elected "president" and council. Most religious groups were welcomed.
Following the 1660 restoration of royal rule in England, Rhode Island sought a
Royal Charter from the new king,Charles II. Charles was then a Catholic sympathizer in
staunchly Protestant England, and approved the colony's promise of religious freedom. He
granted the request with the Royal Charter of 1663, giving the Colony of Rhode Island and
Providence Plantations an elected governor andlegislature. In the following years, many
persecuted groups settled in the colony.
Although Rhode Island remained at peace with the Native Americans, the relationship
between the other New Englandcolonies and the Native Americans was more strained, and
sometimes led to bloodshed. During King Philip's War (1675–1676), both sides regularly
violated Rhode Island's neutrality. The war's largest battle occurred in Rhode Island, when a
force of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouthmilitia invaded and destroyed the
fortified Narragansett Indian village in the Great Swamp in southern Rhode Island, in 1675.
The Narragansett also invaded and burnt down several of the cities of Rhode Island,
including Providence, although they allowed the population to leave first .
Engraved print depicting Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, meeting with the Narragansett
Indians. Date first published: 1856
Narragansett Indians receiving Roger Williams
The colony was folded into the Dominion of New England in 1686, as King James
II attempted to enforce royal authority over the autonomous colonies in British North
America. The dominion was extremely unpopular, and after the 1688Glorious
Revolution deposed James and brought William and Mary to the English throne, the
dominion collapsed, and Rhode Island resumed its previous government.
The bedrock of the economy was agriculture, especially dairyfarming and fishing. Lumber
and shipbuilding also became major industries. Slaves were introduced at this time, although
there is no record of any law re­legalizing slave­holding.
Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British
Crown, on May 4, 1776. It was also the last colony of the thirteen colonies to ratify theUnited
States Constitution on May 29, 1790 once a Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution.
Rhode Island Colony
Map of Rhode Island Colony