Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Freedom in the Colonial Period

Hey guys! Today I return to blog about the colonies. As you remember my theme is freedom. During the colonial period that was mainly a religious idea, I decided to look at Roger Williams. This article discusses his pioneering separation of church and state. Even though Puritans came to America to escape religious persecution, they often persecuted others. One of these was Roger Williams who followed their example of going to exile. The difference was that he did not persecute other groups. When he founded Rhode Island, he separated church and state and turned the colony into a bastion of toleration. This wasn't because he agreed with his fellow exiles, he just didn't think the government should police their beliefs. Hundreds of countries have followed his example, including the United States.