Rhode Island Royal Charter of 1663

E34321

The Rhode Island Royal Charter of 1663 was a landmark colonial document granted by King Charles II that guaranteed an unusual degree of religious freedom and self-governance to Rhode Island, shaping later political developments in New England.


Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf colonial charter
historical document
royal charter
appliesToTerritory Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Rhode Island
basisFor government of Rhode Island colony
containedProvision broad religious toleration for Christians
corporate powers for the colony
power to elect officers annually
power to make laws not contrary to the laws of England
dateGranted 1663-07-08
grantedBy Charles II of England
grantedTo Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
surface form: Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

freemen of Rhode Island
guaranteedRight elective government
liberty of conscience
religious freedom
self-governance
historicalContext English colonial administration in North America
historicalPeriod Stuart period
surface form: Restoration era
influenced development of self-government in the American colonies
later American concepts of religious freedom
political development of Rhode Island
tradition of religious liberty in New England
issuedBy Kingdom of England
surface form: English Crown
issuedUnderAuthorityOf Kingdom of England
language English
legalForm corporate charter
limitedPowerOf royal officials in Rhode Island
locationOfOriginal Rhode Island State Archives
notableFor high degree of colonial autonomy
unusually extensive religious liberty for its time
providedFor elected General Assembly
elected assistants
elected deputy governor
elected governor
legislative authority in the General Assembly
local control over internal affairs
recognizedPoliticalEntity Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
surface form: Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
recognizedRight to establish courts of justice
to hold property collectively as a corporation
to organize a militia
recognizedSettlement Newport
Portsmouth
Providence
Warwick
replaced Parliamentary Patent of 1643–1644
servedAsConstitutionUntil 1843
supersededBy Rhode Island state constitution
surface form: Rhode Island Constitution of 1843

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

New England political institutions basedOn Rhode Island Royal Charter of 1663