USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -From its earliest settlement, Rhode Island was a refuge for people persecuted for their religious beliefs. King Charles II’s 1663 charter for the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations explicitly established religious toleration for all inhabitants.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Royal Charter guaranteed religious freedom for Rhode Islanders. It was the first colony to have this freedom.

Detailed explanation-3: -Rhode Island became a haven for Baptists, Quakers, Jews and other religious minorities. Nearly a century after his death, Williams’ notion of a “wall of separation” between church and state inspired the founders of the United States, including Thomas Jefferson, to consider the limits of the First Amendment.

Detailed explanation-4: -In 1663, King Charles II granted a charter to Rhode Island which designated no established faith and allowed full freedom of conscience for all.

Detailed explanation-5: -Roger Williams, Founder of Rhode Island, Arrived in Boston. Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island based upon principles of complete religious toleration, separation of church and state, and political democracy (values that the U.S. would later be founded upon).