Roger Williams and the Origins of American Liberty

Roger Williams is a historical figure that is recognized by school children as the man that was kicked out of Massachusetts and formed the colony of Rhode Island. Williams contributed much more to the origins of America than that. He also was a champion of freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. He was a friend of the Indians, and insisted on purchasing the land that he and his fellow colonists lived on. Williams' friendship with the Indians played an important part in the Pequot War, convincing the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes to ally with the colonists in order to defeat Sassacus and his Pequot tribe, who were aggressively attacking the colonists.

Coming to the Colonies

Roger Williams grew up in an England that was dominated by the Church of England. There were two groups of people that disagreed with the Church of England: the Separatists and the Puritans. The Puritans wanted to remain in the Church of England, but they wanted to purify the church. The Separatists believed that the Church of England was too corrupt, and they wanted to separate from the church entirely. When the Pilgrims first boarded the Mayflower, Williams, who was a separatist, was excited to hear the news. He arrived in the New World in February 1631.

Meeting Religious Intolerance

Although the Puritans and Separatists wanted to worship God in the way that they saw fit, they didn't want to extend that same religious freedom to others who disagreed. In the colonies, Williams found a few things that he disagreed with. He disagreed with a law, passed in 1635, which required all men to take the Oath of a Freeman, which required the person to swear allegiance to, and become a member of, the Congregational Church. Babies became members of the Congregational Church when they were baptized as infants; Williams disagreed with this. Williams also disagreed with the law of patents, which asserted that a Christian king would own the land that his Christian explorers discovered; Williams did not believe in taking lands that belonged to others. Williams also did not agree with some of the Congregational laws that prohibited against refusing infant baptism and holding unauthorized church services.

His preaching quickly came to the attention of the colonial authorities. Their first action was to force Williams out of his position as the preacher of the Salem church. The town of Salem included Marbleneck Beach, but the court at Boston proclaimed that they would have to give up their beach or their preacher. They chose to fire the preacher.

The court then planned to deport Williams. Some thought of executing him, but John Winthrop convinced the court to rule otherwise. On the day he was to report for deportation, Roger Williams did not show up; he went on the run instead.

Founding Rhode Island

Williams fled Massachusetts, arriving in the land of the Massasoit Indians. He negotiated a deal with the Indians to purchase their land. On that land, his family and a handful of followers formed the city of Providence. In 1638, the people of the city created the Providence Compact. In the Compact, the people agreed to obey the government, which would create rules for the public good, "only in civil things." In religious matters, they were able to follow their conscience.

After he left for Rhode Island, the Massachusetts colony asked him to help them with their Indian problem. Sassacus was leading the Pequot Indians in raids against the colonists. Roger Williams convinced the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes to ally against the Pequot. Subsequently, the colonists defeated the Pequot Indians.

The Rhode Island Church

In Rhode Island, Williams was baptized by Ezekiel Hollliman; he baptized Ezekiel and several others. The church that they started became the first Baptist Church in America. Although the church still exists, Roger Williams did not stay with the church for long. He didn't believe that there could be a church on earth that was pure. He continued to preach and remain religious, but he never again affiliated himself with a church.

Sources:

Beller, James R. America in Crimson Red: The Baptist History in America. Prairie Fire Press, 2004, pp. 1-16.

First Baptist Church in America. Wikipedia.

Pequot War. Wikipedia.

Roger Williams. Wikipedia.