| Rhode Island Royal Charter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created | 8 July 1663 |
| Location | Rhode Island State House, Providence |
| Author(s) | John Clarke |
| Signatories | King Charles II of England |
| Purpose | Establish the government of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
The Rhode Island Royal Charter provided royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, approved by England's King Charles II in July 1663. It superseded the 1643 Patent for Settlement and outlined many freedoms for the inhabitants of Rhode Island. It was the guiding document of the colony's government (and that of the state later) over a period of 180 years.
The charter contains unique provisions which make it significantly different from the charters granted to the other colonies. It gave the colonists freedom to elect their own governor and write their own laws, within very broad guidelines, and also stipulated that no person residing in Rhode Island could be "molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question for any differences in opinion in matters of religion".
The charter was not replaced until 1843, after serving for nearly two centuries as the guiding force of the colony and then the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Historian Thomas Bicknell described it as "the grandest instrument of human liberty ever constructed".[1]
- ^ Bicknell 1920, p. 1022.