Rhode Island
- Founded in 1636 by Roger Williams who wanted the separation of church and state. It was also founded for complete religious toleration since he had been kicked out of Massachusetts for supporting these things.
- Geography- There were many trees in Rhode Island but the soil was poor so wheat couldn't grow here. Summer was usually mild but winters were long and very cold.
- Rhode Island's geography has a lot to do with its economy because a lot of it is fishing and whaling. Also the thick forestry provided wood for ship building. They also depended on fur trading, livestock, and exporting rum.
- Government- Rhode Island was a Charter Colony which means it was mostly self-governed. They had a governor and Governor's Council which helped him make decisions for the colony.
- Famous Rhode Islanders include actress Viola Davis, Robert Capron, and Mena Suvari.
- All religions were welcome . Rhode Island was the first colony to have complete religious freedom and we owe a lot of what our country is now, to the people with ideas like Roger Williams. In this colony, they beieved that in the separation of church and state while Puritans in other colonies thought the opposite.
- No residency requirements since it was a religiously tolerant colony
- Target residents- Anyone who was facing religious persecution in the other colonies could come here to live freely.
"God requireth not a uniformity of religion to be enacted and enforced in any civil state."
- Roger Williams
In this quote from "The Bloody Tenent of Persecution", Roger Williams simply states his beliefs on religious freedom. He expresses the idea that a state or colony should not have a designated religion. The quote is important because it is this concept that lead to the founding of Rhode Island and what the U.S. looks like today.