Baptists are Christians who insist on believer's baptism. Though they share some beliefs with the Anabaptists of Continental Europe, the Baptists arose from Puritanism in England. John Smyth (c.1554-1612), a separatist Puritan, baptized himself and about 40 followers, forming perhaps the first Baptist congregation. Baptists and other radicals endured persecution in England and also in Puritan New England. In North America, Roger Williams established the first Baptist congregation at Providence, Rhode Island in 1639. Following Williams' example, Baptists advocated religious toleration in America. They wanted a constitutional settlement to disestablish the old colonial state churches: Congregationalism, Presbyterianism, and the Church of England. Baptists insisted on conversion or the New Birth, followed by believer's baptism as the entry point into Christianity. They benefited from the Great Awakening, which emphasized the New Birth or conversion. Methodists, who did practice infant baptism, and Baptists became the backbone of nineteenth-century American evangelicalism. A large percentage of African-American churches are Baptist. Spreading throughout the English speaking world, to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Baptists are one of the largest worldwide Protestant movements.