Roger Williams (1604?–1683) was born in London, England, and earned a degree from Pembroke College, Cambridge, in 1627. After studying theology, he worked briefly as a chaplain before embracing Puritanism.
As a separatist, Williams believed that the Church of England was beyond redemption, and he refused advancement within it. He emigrated to Boston in February 1631, and a few months later he became a teacher in the church at Salem.
Roger Williams clashed with Puritan fathers on interlocking of church and state
Williams left Salem for Plymouth Colony after his religious views came to be at variance with those of the leaders of the Salem church of the time. He served as an assistant pastor in Plymouth while studying Native American languages. The Boston magistrates objected when the Salem church sought to recruit Williams as its minister once more; however, in 1633, in defiance of the Massachusetts general court, Salem accepted Williams, and the newly appointed minister continued to speak his mind.
