Patent for Providence Plantations, Roger Williams
Known as the “Great Experiment,” this is the first TRUE democracy in America. From the charter largely drafted by Roger Williams who was influenced by his mentor Sir Edward Coke. Coke, who relied heavily on the Magna Carta in legal proceedings, was a legal giant in his time.
From Roger Williams’ 1643/4 charter:
…full Power and Authority to rule themselves…by such a Form of Civil Government, as by voluntary consent of all, or the greater Part of them…
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Great ideas become more than philosophy when people build institutions that test them in real life.
Subject: Civic Experimentation.
In 1644, Williams secured the Patent for Providence Plantations and helped turn radical ideas about liberty and tolerance into an operating government. That matters. Philosophy is easy when it stays on paper. The harder test is whether people with different beliefs can actually live together, govern themselves, and make the experiment work.
What type of government is ruled by the people?.
Answer. Democracy.
That Critical Thinking Story,
was first published on TST 7 years ago.
