Rhode Island was discovered and founded by Roger Williams in 1636. He was a religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who fled due to his radical views on religious freedom and fair treatment of Native Americans. With the help of the Narragansett tribe, especially sachems Canonicus and Miantonomi, Williams acquired land along the Seekonk River where he established the settlement of Providence, naming it in gratitude for "God's merciful providence." This settlement was founded on principles of religious freedom and separation of church and state, standing in contrast to the neighboring colonies' theocratic governments. Other key figures, such as Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, and John Clarke, later founded additional settlements on Aquidneck Island, also part of Rhode Island's founding history.
