Oklahoma Social Studies 5.C.2.1.A
The Standard
- 5.C.2
- Compare the developments of the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies.
- 5.C.2.1
- Explain how settlements in other colonies were influenced by a desire for religious freedom, economic opportunity, and self-government, including
Roger Williams’ advocacy for religious freedom and his founding of the Providence Plantation
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · 5.C.2.1
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Explain why Roger Williams opposed government rules about worship. Describe his conflict with Massachusetts Bay leaders and how he founded Providence, where people could choose how to worship.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can connect Williams’s banishment to his founding of Providence. They can explain how religious choice in Providence differed from the rules in Massachusetts Bay. They know he reached a land agreement with Narragansett leaders, not on empty land.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Williams opposed religion itself, rather than government control of worship. They may confuse Providence with Plymouth or assume no one lived on the land before Williams arrived. They may also think his actions gave every colony religious freedom.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Why did Williams clash with Massachusetts Bay leaders, and what did he do differently in Providence? Include the Narragansett in your answer.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three event cards, Williams’s banishment, his agreement with Narragansett leaders, and Providence’s founding, and have them build a timeline.
Ask: Should colonial leaders have been able to require church attendance? Write two sentences connecting your answer to Williams’s actions.
Have pairs match cause cards, 'required worship' and 'Williams is banished,' with effect cards, 'Williams protests' and 'Providence is founded.'
Describe a family choosing its place of worship; have students compare that choice with what Williams wanted for people in Providence.
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Related Standards
- 5.C.1.7
Describe the importance of freedom from religious persecution that motivated immigration by Pilgrims (separatists) to Plymouth Colony as opposed to economic rea...
- 5.C.2.1.B
Anne Hutchinson’s opposition to Puritan restrictions on religious freedom C William Penn’s establishment of a haven for Quakers and diverse faiths in Pennsylvan...
- 5.C.2.1
Explain how settlements in other colonies were influenced by a desire for religious freedom, economic opportunity, and self-government, including
- 5.C.1.9.E
leadership of John Winthrop and his vision of a “city upon a hill.”
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