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Overview
He championed Native American rights; wrote treatises on equal rights, flag desecration, and the separation of church and state; established the first American settlement based on total religious toleration--and he lived about 250 years before the creation of the American republic. Roger Williams was born in London in 1603 and educated as a clergyman at the University of Cambridge. A devout Puritan, he evaded religious persecution by moving to the newly-created Massachusetts Bay Colony. His fervent support of complete separation from the Church of England, however, often put him at odds with the local authorities and forced him to move from one city to another. Eventually, he was banished from the colony when he dared question the authorities' right to seize Native American lands without compensation.He was given shelter by the Narragansett tribe. He lived with them, studied their language, and became friends with their chiefs. Along with a few other families, he purchased some land from the Narragansett and established the Providence settlement in 1636. The new settlement was ruled along the principles of equality--each household participated in the conduct of government and received an equal allotment of land--complete religious toleration, and separation of church and state. Providence became famous as a sanctuary for all victims of bigotry and persecution, most notably the Quakers. Williams adopted adult baptism by immersion and founded the first Baptist church in America. He became president of Rhode Island colony in 1654, served as captain in the defense of Providence during King Philip's War, and continued to write and preach passionately for religious tolerance and Native American rights until his death in 1683.