<P> The second plantation settlement on the mainland was Samuel Gorton's Shawomet Purchase from the Narragansetts in 1642 . As soon as Gorton settled at Shawomet, however, the Massachusetts Bay authorities laid claim to his territory and acted to enforce their claim . After considerable difficulties with the Massachusetts Bay General Court, Gorton traveled to London to enlist the help of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, head of the Commission for Foreign Plantations . Gorton returned in 1648 with a letter from Rich, ordering Massachusetts to cease molesting him and his people . In gratitude, he changed the name of Shawomet Plantation to Warwick . </P> <P> In 1651, William Coddington obtained a separate charter from England setting up the Coddington Commission, which made him life governor of the islands of Rhode Island and Conanicut in a federation with Connecticut Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony . Protest, open rebellion, and a further petition to Oliver Cromwell in London led to the reinstatement of the original charter in 1653 . </P> <P> Following the 1660 restoration of royal rule in England, it was necessary to gain a Royal Charter from King Charles II . Charles was a Catholic sympathizer in staunchly Protestant England, and he approved of the colony's promise of religious freedom . He granted the request with the Royal Charter of 1663, uniting the four settlements together into the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . In the following years, many persecuted groups settled in the colony, notably Quakers and Jews . The Rhode Island colony was very progressive for the time, passing laws abolishing witchcraft trials, imprisonment for debt, most capital punishment and, on May 18, 1652, chattel slavery of both blacks and whites . </P> <P> Rhode Island remained at peace with local Indians, but the relationship was more strained between other New England colonies and certain tribes and sometimes led to bloodshed, despite attempts by the Rhode Island leadership to broker peace . During King Philip's War (1675--1676), both sides regularly violated Rhode Island's neutrality . The war's largest battle occurred in Rhode Island, when a force of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouth militia under General Josiah Winslow invaded and destroyed the fortified Narragansett village in the Great Swamp in southern Rhode Island, on December 19, 1675 . The Narragansetts also invaded and burned down several of the cities of Rhode Island, including Providence . Roger Williams knew both Metacom (English name Philip) and Canonchet as children . He was aware of the tribe's movements and promptly sent letters informing the Governor of Massachusetts of enemy movements . By his prompt action, Providence Plantations made some efforts at fortifying the town, and Williams even started training recruits for protection . In one of the final actions of the war, troops from Connecticut hunted down and killed "King Philip", as they called the Narragansett war leader Metacom, on Rhode Island's territory . </P>

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