(11) Identify Roger Williams, the origins of Rhode Island, and his essay: The Bloody Tenents of Persecution. Explain how he contributed to freedom of religion, thought, speech and conscience. Roger Williams was the founder of Rhode Island. Before that, he was a bright young man who had been drawn to the land of Plymouth. His religious views contradicted those of the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After numerous disagreements, Williams was expelled and threatened with being sent back to England. However, a few months later, he settled near Providence. He preached and lived with the Indians. He also later argued that since Christian doctrine preaches against theft, the English state should not take their lands. After founding the First Baptist Church of America, Williams struggled to defend his personal beliefs. Then, in 1644, Williams received a charter from the King of England to colonize the Indian lands. Rhode Island later became a popular place for Quakers and Jews fleeing religious persecution. Although his vision of being a Baptist and a seeker contradicted that of the Puritans, Roger Williams preached religious tolerance throughout the colony of Rhode Island. The people who followed his preaching appreciated the respect towards religions other than their own. Accordingly, Roger Williams also encouraged religious freedom. He also later introduced the idea of ​​separation of church and state in a government in his book The Bloudy Tenet of Persecution. He specifically called for tolerance of all Christian denominations, as well as Catholicism and Judaism. Furthermore, Williams points out that Through his interpretation of the Bible, Williams argued that C...... middle of paper ......who form a social contract in which their rights are guaranteed under this form of government . These ideas changed the way American colonists viewed government. Their views were shifting towards independence from Britain. Additionally, the philosophies of John Locke and the ideas of the Enlightenment influenced Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence. The document uses the idea of ​​Natural Law and justifies the reasons for escaping the rule of Great Britain. His idea of ​​representative government was also fundamental to the evolution of democratic government in the colonies. Social contract ideas also explained why the colonies decided to break away from England. The use of many of these terms in the American Constitution as well as the subsequent adaptation of the Bill of Rights are all examples of the influence of events in Europe.