Question

What was a major difference between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Rhode Island?

Answer 1

The founder of Rhode Island believed in religious toleration, meanwhile, the founders of Massachusetts were Puritans and wanted strict obedience to their beliefs. Therefore, it can be concluded that the major difference between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Rhode Island was that Rhode Island practiced the idea of religious toleration while the Massachusetts Bay Colony did not have religious toleration or freedom.

 

EXPLANATION:  

In 1630, eleven ships ran by John Winthrop came in New England with more than 700 Puritan settlers. They founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony and inhabited near the current area of Boston. John Winthrop worked as the new colony’s governor. He desired it to be a "city on a hill" (a Bible’s passage) which would be a model for Europeans of how Protestant society could develop.

 

The Puritan superiors from the Massachusetts Bay Colony had very firm rules and regulations concerning their church. People who opposed them were usually pushed to quit the colony. Some of these people developed new colonies in southern Massachusetts including Connecticut and Rhode Island.

 

Roger Williams, a Puritan religious leader, believed that the government must separate from the church. He also considered that people must have greater religious freedom. He was expelled from Massachusetts and established his own settlement so-called Providence in 1636.

 

Another Puritan leader, Anne Hutchinson, argued the Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. She said they focused on "works" for redemption and not "faith." She was exiled too and began the settlement of Portsmouth in 1638.

 

Portsmouth and Providence, together with two other settlements, joined together to form the British Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1644.

 

LEARN MORE:  

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

• Which of the following best summarizes the role of religion in the Massachusetts Bay Colony? brainly.com/question/319151

KEYWORDS : Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island

Subject  : History

Class  : 10-12

Sub-Chapter : Puritans in Early New England

Answer 2

B. Rhode Island practiced religious toleration while Massachusetts Bay Colony did not.

Roger Williams (1603-1683) firmly believed in freedom of conscience. He founded the Rhode Island colony after being banished from Massachusetts in 1636 because of his views. He advocated keeping church and state separate. Rhode Island became a safe place for various religious dissenters and minorities to find a place to exist peacefully -- Baptists, Quakers, Jews and other religious minorities. Years later, when colonial America became the United States of America and the US Constitution was being written, Roger Williams idea of maintaining a “wall of separation” between church and state influenced the framers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Freedom of religion was not the case in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, dominated by Puritan law. The Puritans came to America so they could practice their religion, but did not allow freedom for others within their colony. Those who did not follow the Puritan ways were often sent away (as Roger Williams was).