Providence Plantations
A settlement founded by Roger Williams in 1636 that became one of the four constituent communities of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Providence Plantations was an English settlement founded in 1636 by Roger Williams on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay in North America. Williams, a Puritan minister and advocate of religious liberty, established the settlement after being expelled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of his theological and political disagreements with its leadership. He negotiated with Narragansett sachems Canonicus and Miantonomio for the land and named the settlement Providence Plantations, expressing his belief that divine providence had guided him to a place of refuge. The settlement was distinctive in the context of seventeenth-century New England. Williams and the settlers associated with Providence sought to separate civil government from religious authority and agreed to a form of government based on majority rule in civil matters while preserving liberty of conscience in religious affairs. Providence consequently became a refuge for dissenters and people excluded from the stricter religious communities of Massachusetts. Its political model emphasized local self-government rather than rule by an established church. Providence was one of four early English settlements around Narragansett Bay. Portsmouth and Newport were founded on Aquidneck Island by religious dissenters from Massachusetts in 1638 and 1639, while Warwick was established on the mainland after Samuel Gorton acquired the Shawomet area from the Narragansett people in 1642. The four communities were not initially governed as a single, unified colony. They instead worked through patents, local compacts, and negotiations with English authorities to protect their land claims and autonomy. The settlements received an intercolonial patent in 1643–1644, which helped restore their political connection after competing claims by Massachusetts and Connecticut threatened their independence. A separate commission obtained by William Coddington in 1651 temporarily placed the island settlements under a different arrangement, but opposition from other colonists and a petition to Oliver Cromwell led to restoration of the earlier patent. The decisive constitutional development came in 1663, when King Charles II granted a royal charter joining Providence, Portsmouth, Newport, and Warwick as the English Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations. The charter confirmed broad self-government and unusually strong protections for religious liberty. Although Providence Plantations began primarily as a religious and political refuge, the wider colony developed a mixed economy based on agriculture, fishing, maritime commerce, lumber, shipbuilding, and later the Atlantic slave trade. Providence and Newport became important ports. The colony adopted measures that were progressive by contemporary standards, including restrictions on witchcraft prosecutions, imprisonment for debt, and many forms of capital punishment. An anti-slavery law was enacted in 1652, but the available historical record indicates that it was not effectively enforced, and slavery and slave trading later became embedded in the colony’s economy. Providence and the surrounding settlements also experienced conflict involving neighboring colonies and Indigenous nations. Rhode Island leaders attempted to maintain neutrality during King Philip’s War, but fighting entered the colony. The Great Swamp battle in December 1675 occurred within Rhode Island, and Providence was later attacked and burned. The settlement survived these disruptions and continued under the colony’s chartered government. In the 1680s, the colony was temporarily absorbed into the Dominion of New England, but it resumed its earlier government after the overthrow of James II in England and the collapse of the dominion. The name Providence Plantations continued as part of the formal name of the colony and later the state of Rhode Island. The historical settlement itself ceased to be an independent political entity when the four Narragansett Bay settlements were consolidated under the 1663 royal charter. The name nevertheless remained associated with Providence and Rhode Island for centuries, until the state formally removed “and Providence Plantations” from its official name in 2020.
History
Providence Plantations was established in 1636 after Roger Williams’s expulsion from Massachusetts Bay. Williams traveled to Narragansett Bay and negotiated with Canonicus and Miantonomio, leaders of the Narragansett people, for land on which to create a new settlement. He called it Providence Plantations, a name expressing gratitude for what he regarded as divine guidance. The settlement was conceived as a place where civil authority would not control religious belief. Its governing agreement allowed majority rule in civil matters while protecting individual conscience in spiritual matters. The settlement developed alongside three other communities around Narragansett Bay. Massachusetts dissenters established Portsmouth in 1638 and Newport in 1639 on Aquidneck Island, while Samuel Gorton and associates founded Warwick after acquiring Shawomet from the Narragansett people in 1642. These settlements faced competing territorial claims from Massachusetts and Connecticut and lacked a single comprehensive constitutional framework. The Patent of 1643–1644 gave them a basis for collective political recognition and helped preserve their autonomy. The political structure was contested in the 1650s. William Coddington secured a separate commission in 1651 that made him life governor of the island settlements within a proposed federation involving Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay. Other colonists resisted the arrangement and appealed to Oliver Cromwell in England. Their efforts resulted in restoration of the earlier patent and the reestablishment of a broader political connection among the settlements. The restoration of the English monarchy created the opportunity for a more secure settlement of the colony’s constitutional status. In 1663, Charles II issued a royal charter uniting Providence, Portsmouth, Newport, and Warwick as the Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations. The charter provided an unusually broad basis for local self-government and protected religious liberty. It attracted groups that faced persecution elsewhere, including Quakers and Jews, and helped establish Rhode Island’s reputation as one of the most religiously tolerant English colonies. The colony’s economy was diverse. Farming and fishing remained important, while lumber, shipbuilding, and maritime trade expanded. Providence and Newport developed as ports and later benefited from commerce connected to the Atlantic slave system. The colony enacted an anti-slavery law in 1652, but the measure was apparently not enforced, and colonial authorities later legalized African and Indigenous slavery. By the eighteenth century, Rhode Island merchants participated in the triangular trade involving enslaved people, sugar, and rum. Conflict with Indigenous peoples and neighboring colonies repeatedly affected the settlement. Rhode Island leaders attempted to mediate during the tensions that preceded King Philip’s War, but the colony could not remain outside the fighting. In December 1675, forces from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouth attacked the Narragansett stronghold at the Great Swamp. Providence was later burned during the war. The settlement survived and continued under the royal charter. During the 1680s, the Crown attempted to centralize colonial administration through the Dominion of New England. Rhode Island was placed under the dominion’s authority, but the arrangement became unpopular. After James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688–1689, the dominion dissolved and Rhode Island resumed its earlier government. Providence Plantations continued as part of the colony’s formal name until the colony became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations after independence. Rhode Island renounced allegiance to Britain on May 4, 1776, and became the last of the former Thirteen Colonies to ratify the United States Constitution, on May 29, 1790. The state removed the phrase “and Providence Plantations” from its official name in 2020.
- 1790
Rhode Island ratifies the United States Constitution
[1]Rhode Island became the thirteenth and final former colony to ratify the Constitution.
- 1776
Rhode Island renounces allegiance to Britain
[1]The colony became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to formally renounce allegiance to the British Crown.
- 1689
Self-government is restored
[1]The collapse of the Dominion of New England after the Glorious Revolution allowed Rhode Island to resume its earlier government.
- 1686
Colony is absorbed into the Dominion of New England
[1]The Crown’s centralizing Dominion of New England brought Rhode Island under the authority of Governor Edmund Andros and the dominion administration.
- 1675
Great Swamp battle
[1]A major battle of King Philip’s War took place in Rhode Island when forces from neighboring colonies attacked a fortified Narragansett settlement.
- 1663
Charles II grants the Royal Charter
[1]The royal charter united Providence, Portsmouth, Newport, and Warwick as the Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations and affirmed religious liberties.
- 1652
Early anti-slavery law is enacted
[1]The colony passed an anti-slavery measure, although later developments and the historical record indicate that it was not effectively enforced.
- 1651
Coddington Commission creates a rival arrangement
[1]William Coddington obtained a separate English commission governing the island settlements, prompting resistance and a subsequent appeal to Oliver Cromwell.
- 1643
Intercolonial patent provides political protection
[1]The settlements obtained the Patent of 1643–1644, creating a basis for collective authority and defense of their autonomy.
- 1642
Warwick is founded
[1]Samuel Gorton and associates established a settlement at Shawomet after acquiring land from the Narragansett people; it was later renamed Warwick.
Products and positioning
A religiously tolerant, self-governing English settlement and refuge for dissenters in seventeenth-century New England.
Brand decisions
1663
Consolidation under the Royal CharterStrategyBackground
The four Narragansett Bay settlements needed a durable constitutional basis after years of competing patents, territorial claims, and internal political disputes.
Action taken
King Charles II issued a charter joining Providence, Portsmouth, Newport, and Warwick into the Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, with authority for local self-government and protection of religious liberty.
Aftermath
The charter became the colony’s principal governing instrument and supported its reputation as a refuge for religious dissenters.
1651
Resistance to the Coddington CommissionOtherBackground
William Coddington’s separate commission threatened to divide the political authority of the Narragansett Bay settlements and place the island communities under a life governor.
Action taken
Opponents organized resistance and petitioned Oliver Cromwell in England for restoration of the earlier intercolonial patent.
Aftermath
The original political connection was restored, preserving a broader measure of autonomy for the settlements.
Sources1 sources
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