Colonial times

In the early colonial times, each colony made a significant impact on the values that we hold dear in America today. While they all made an impact, three of the colonies stood out in areas that would later come to shape into our democratic society, the colonies being Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and

Rhode Island, called "Little Rhody" by early colonists, was essentially a big mixture if people. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams, an outcast the Puritan Bay Colony. He mainly established a colony devoted to freedom of religion, including freedoms for Jews, Catholics, and Quakers. He demanded no religious oaths, compulsory worship attendance, and no taxes to support a state church. Williams's principles of religion made it the most liberal of the colonies. This attracted many people, who created many small settlements along Rhode Island. Williams's liberal approach to religion helped to create the concept of freedom of religion, a basis for our first amendment.

English: The World in 1897. "The British Possessio...

Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island 1636, Chie...

English: The statue of at

While Rhode Island was liberal with their religious principles, Massachusetts was very conservative. However, Massachusetts helped to promote the first strides for independence. While not a democracy, the early Puritans held town meetings to decide some of the matters of the town instead of letting the governor decide it all. The colony was a member of the New England Confederation, one of the first steps towards colonial unity. Massachusetts was one of the first colonies to rebel against their leaders, and one of the first to feel the heavy burden of what happens when you do. Its sight for unity helped to later unify the colonies against Great Britain, helping us gain our independence.

Virginia, the first colony founded, was the first colony that depended on selling a cash crop, making it have one of the first colonies. John Rolfe,