A Plea for Religious Liberty

by Roger Williams

Roger Williams (circa 1603-1683) was a religious leader and one of the founders of Rhode Island. The son of a well-to-do London businessman and educated at Cambridge, Williams became a clergyman and in 1630 sailed for Massachusetts. He refused a call to the church of Boston because it had not formally broken with the Church of England, but after two invitations he became the assistant pastor, later pastor, of the church at Salem.

Williams made a splash when he questioned the right of the colonists to take the Native Americans’ land from them merely on the legal basis of the royal charter, and he also ran afoul of the oligarchy in Massachusetts in other ways. In 1635 he was found guilty of spreading "new authority of magistrates" and was ordered to be banished from the colony.

Williams lived briefly with friendly Indians and then, in 1636, founded Providence in what was to be the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. His religious views led him to become briefly a Baptist, later a Seeker. In 1644, while he was in England getting a charter for his colony from Parliament, he wrote A Plea for Religious Liberty. While writing about it, Williams practiced it, founding the first place in modern history where citizenship and religion were separated, a place where there was religious liberty and separation of church and state.

This edition of A Plea for Religious Liberty is specially formatted with images of Williams and an original introduction.

10 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2011

About the author

Roger Williams (c. 1603 – between January and March 1683) was an English Puritan theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. He was expelled by the Puritan Leaders because they thought he was spreading "new and dangerous ideas", so in 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams was a member of the first Baptist church in America, the First Baptist Church of Providence.

Williams was also a student of Native American languages, an early advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans, and arguably the first abolitionist in North America, having organized the first attempt to prohibit slavery in any of the British American colonies.

Reviews

[Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This piece is trapped halfway between being quite progressive for the time and being hopelessly misguided. Williams pledges religious tolerance across the land, but says that people with their "heathen" religions can't convert others to their religion. It's honestly kind of funny.

[charity amponsah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

This is a must read!.if you want to understand tolerance, liberty of conscience and true freedom then grab your copy!

[Alan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early tract by the founder of Those Island. Advocate for separation of church and state as necessary for the right to religiously held beliefs.

[Ross Reinhiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Williams point on

An American classic! Faith and the secular in perspective. In the days of balance, here is the voice, faithful reason.