Person

Roger Williams

c. 1603–1683 · 17th century

Roger Williams was an English Puritan minister banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 for his views on religious liberty and native land rights. In 1636 he founded Providence on land obtained from the Narragansett, and he secured a charter for Rhode Island, which separated church and state.

Roger Williams — Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Massachusetts Bay Colony Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Roger Williams. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/roger-williams
MLA: “Roger Williams.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/roger-williams. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Roger Williams.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/roger-williams.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Roger Williams’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/roger-williams (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻