The colony they established was a theocracy where church and state were one and residents did not have any more religious freedom than the Puritans had in England. When a charismatic, free spoken women, Anne Hutchinson came along, she questioned the doctrine of predestination, which threatened the clergy. She began to provide sermons of her own in her parlor. Finally, the clergy felt she was far too dangerous to be living amongst Puritans. She was arrested for heresy and sent to Providence, Massachusetts. Alternatively, the New England colony of Rhode Island permitted religious freedom. Roger Williams, “political and religious leader” (History.com) believed the natives had rights to their land and colonist should not seize what does not belong to them. When the colonial government voted Williams out of the colony, he was forced to create peace elsewhere. Followed by colonists, Williams and company settled in Narragansett Bay where they bought land from the Narragansett Indians which he dubbed Providence. After obtaining a charter from Parliament in 1644, “he established a government similar to that of Massachusetts but without any ties to the church” (Brinkley, 36). As Maryland was founded as a safe haven for Catholics, Roger Williams established the colony of Rhode Island where he sought religious freedom, where “all faiths (including Judaism) could worship without interference” (Brinkley, …show more content…
The native Indians were instrumental in their survival both in north and south America during their early days of settlement. Peace between colonist and Indians was brief. Although, their religions differed, both settlements were escaping religious persecution. While some settlers may be looking for new land to earn a living and provide for their family, others migrated to America for a new beginning. In the Chesapeake colonies, Catholic’s and Protestants prevailed the region. While in the New England colonies were primarily Puritan and Puritan Separatists. The diversity of the original colonies as a whole is what makes each sector of colonial America significant as an established foundation of the original 13