Editing Roger Williams (section)

==Settlement at Providence==

[[File:Alonzo_Chappel_-_The_Landing_of_Roger_Williams_in_1636_-_43.003_-_Rhode_Island_School_of_Design_Museum.jpg|thumb|upright=1.34|''The Landing of Roger Williams in 1636'' (1857) by [[Alonzo Chappel]] depicts Williams crossing the [[Seekonk River]]]]

In the spring of 1636, Williams and a [[list of early settlers of Rhode Island|number of others]] from Salem began a new settlement on land which he had bought from Massasoit in [[Rumford, Rhode Island|Rumford]]. After settling, however, Plymouth Governor William Bradford sent him a friendly letter which nonetheless warned him that he was still within jurisdiction of Plymouth Colony and concerned that this might antagonize the leaders in Boston.

Accordingly, Williams and Thomas Angell crossed the [[Seekonk River]] in search of a new location suitable for settlement. Upon reaching the shore, Williams and Angell were met by [[Narragansett (tribe)|Narragansett people]] who greeted them with the words "What cheer, Netop" ({{Translation|Hello, friend}}). The settlers then continued eastward along the [[Providence River]], where they encountered a cove and freshwater spring. Finding the area suitable for settlement, Williams acquired the tract from sachems [[Canonicus]] and [[Miantonomoh|Miantonomi]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cady|first=John Hutchins|author-link=John Hutchins Cady|url=https://archive.org/details/civicarchitectur00cady|title=The civic and architectural development of Providence, 1636-1950|date=1957|publisher=Providence, R.I. : Book Shop|others=Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center}}</ref> Here, Williams and his followers established a new, permanent settlement, convinced that divine providence had brought them there. They named it [[Providence Plantations]].<ref>''An Album of Rhode Island History'' by Patrick T. Conley</ref>
[[File:Rhode Island statehood Tercentenary, 3c, 1936 issue.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams]]
Williams wanted his settlement to be a haven for those "distressed of conscience," and it soon attracted a growing number of families who did not see eye-to-eye with the leaders in Massachusetts Bay. From the beginning, a majority vote of the heads of households governed the new settlement, but only in civil things. Newcomers could also be admitted to full citizenship by a majority vote. In August 1637, a new town agreement again restricted the government to civil things. In 1640, 39 freemen (men who had full citizenship and voting rights) signed another agreement that declared their determination "still to hold forth liberty of conscience." Thus, Williams founded the first place in modern history where citizenship and religion were separate, providing religious liberty and separation of church and state. This was combined with the principle of majoritarian democracy.

[[File:First_Baptist_Church_in_America_from_Angell_St_3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|[[First Baptist Church in America]] which Williams co-founded in 1638]]
In November 1637, the General Court of Massachusetts exiled a number of families during the [[Antinomian Controversy]], including [[Anne Hutchinson]] and her followers. [[John Clarke (Baptist minister)|John Clarke]] was among them, and he learned from Williams that [[Aquidneck Island]] might be purchased from the Narragansetts; Williams helped him to make the purchase, along with [[William Coddington]] and others, and they established the settlement of [[Portsmouth, Rhode Island|Portsmouth]]. In spring 1638, some of those settlers split away and founded the nearby settlement of [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]], also situated on Rhode Island (now called Aquidneck).

In 1638, Williams and about 12 others were baptized and formed a congregation. Today, Williams's congregation is recognized as the [[First Baptist Church in America]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=King|first1=Henry Melville|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MylOAQAAMAAJ|title=Historical Catalogue of the Members of the First Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island|last2=Wilcox|first2=Charles Field|date=1908|publisher=Townsend, F.H., Printer|language=en}}</ref>

===Pequot War and relations with Native Americans===

In the meantime, the [[Pequot War]] had broken out. Massachusetts Bay asked for Williams's help, which he gave despite his exile, and he became the Bay colony's eyes and ears, and also dissuaded the Narragansetts from joining with the [[Pequots]]. Instead, the Narragansetts allied themselves with the colonists and helped to defeat the Pequots in 1637–38.

Williams formed firm friendships and developed deep trust among the Native American tribes, especially the Narragansetts. He was able to keep the peace between the Native Americans and the [[Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations]] for nearly 40 years by his constant mediation and negotiation. He twice surrendered himself as a hostage to the Native Americans to guarantee the safe return of a great [[sachem]] from a summons to a court: Pessicus in 1645 and [[Metacom]] ("King Philip") in 1671. The Native Americans trusted Williams more than any other Colonist, and he proved trustworthy.

[[File:Roger Williams and Narragansetts.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A mid-19th century depiction of Williams meeting with Narragansett leaders]]