II.

Religious Toleration

Williams became friendly with the Narragansett, making a study of their language. In 1636 he purchased lands from the tribe. Together with a few companions he established the settlement of Providence and the colony of Rhode Island, naming the settlement in gratitude “for God's merciful providence unto me in my distress.” The government of the colony was based upon complete religious toleration and upon separation of church and state. Each household exercised a voice in the conduct of government and received an equal share in the distribution of land. Accepting the practice of adult baptism by immersion, Williams was baptized by a layman in 1639; he subsequently baptized a small group and thus founded the first Baptist church in America (see Baptists). Later in the same year he withdrew from the church he had founded and declared himself to be a “seeker,” that is, one who accepts the fundamental beliefs of Christianity but does not profess a particular creed.