Roger Williams
English Protestant Theologian
Began the Colony of Providence Plantation (Rhode Island)
Started the First Baptist Church in America
Began the Colony of Providence Plantation (Rhode Island)
Started the First Baptist Church in America
On ‘Forced Religion’
Biography
Roger Williams (December 21, 1603 - c. January–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 first abolitionist in North America, having organized the first attempt to prohibit slavery in any of the original thirteen colonies. » Full Bio
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