Short History of Early Colonial Leaders
Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Banished from Massachusetts over religious differences with the Puritan church leaders, Roger Williams established Providence Plantations southwest of Plymouth on the northern end of Narragansett Bay.
Roger Williams (c. 1631 - Sometime between January 27 and March 15 1683)
Sometime in late winter 1604 Alice Pemberton Williams presented her husband, James Williams, with a son, Roger. The date, between January and March, no one will ever know because the birth records burned in a fire that destroyed in 1666 during the Great Fire of London. His father was a merchant tailor in Smithfield, England.
Influence of Sir Edward Coke
An influential lawyer, judge and legislator in England, Sir Edward Coke took an important role in the life of Roger Williams. Many historians consider Coke the most important jurist during his lifetime. His many legal reforms and ideas played an important role in the American revolution and in the drafting of the third and fourth amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Coke oversaw much of Roger Williams education and probably influenced much of his thinking.
Education
Coke oversaw Roger's education at Charterhouse and also at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he received a BA in 1627. Gifted with a skill for learning languages he spoke Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Dutch, and French. He focused on theology and holy orders in the Church of England. However, while studying at Cambridge he became a Puritan. This disqualified him to take a position with the Anglican Church. After graduation a Puritan gentleman and member of Parliament, Sir William Masham, hired him as his chaplain. Williams married Mary Barnard (1609–76) on December 15, 1629.
Evolution of Theology
During this time William's religious views evolved. He believed that the Church of England was corrupt and false. He believed in the freedom of religion and that the church must separate itself from government to cleanse itself. His views were unpopular in England and authorities threatened to arrest him. Authorities had punished many religious dissenters by whipping or burning at the stake. With the authorities threatening arrest, Williams fled England and immigrated to Boston. He had learned of the first Puritan emigration to the New World in 1630, but did not join it at that time. He and his wife Mary did leave England on the ship, Lyon, in early December, 1630.
Roger and his wife Mary arrived in Boston on February 5, 1631.
Annoying the Puritan Leadership
After his arrival in Boston, he spent the next four years annoying Massachusetts colonial leaders with his views. By October 1763, Massachusetts leaders had had enough and arrested him.
William's Views
Two of his beliefs got him into the most trouble, and both threatened the power structure of those in charge. First, he believed that religious dissent caused most wars. Therefore, he advocated complete tolerance of religion and that taxes should not be used to support the church. Second, he believed that the English should purchase the land they wanted from the natives. He preached that most of the colonies were there illegitimately and that they should buy the land from the tribes that had lived there.
Ministry in Salem and Plymouth
At first, the colonists in Boston welcomed him, but soon his views got him into trouble. He moved to Plymouth, which was more tolerant of his teachings. In 1633, a minister in Salem, the Reverend Samuel Skelton, invited him to his church as an unofficial assistant. Skelton passed away and Williams took over as the minister of the church. His return to Salem did not please the Puritan leaders and they sought to arrest him. They did arrest him in 1633 and placed him on trial. The matter was resolved and Williams released. However, by 1635 they ordered his appearance before the Court in both March and July. They ordered him removed from his position in the church; an order not complied with by the church. Finally, in October 1635 the court tried and convicted him of sedition and heresy. The court banned him from Massachusetts. Williams was ill at this time and officials allowed him to stay at his home until his health improved as long as he ceased preaching. By now most of Williams, supporters had faded away, but a few remained. Williams did not cease preaching, so in January the
Slipping Away in a Blizzard
Williams did not cease preaching, so in January the Sheriff went to his home to arrest him. Williams had gotten away during a blizzard three days earlier. He traveled fifty-five miles through the snow to find refuge with the Wampanoag tribe. He stayed with them for three months, until spring.
Role in the Pequot War
Williams had formed close ties with the Narragansett tribe. He had purchased land from them in 1636 to found his colony, which he called Providence Plantations. When the Pequot War broke out in 1637, Massachusetts Bay officials requested aid from Williams. Williams used his influence to persuade the Narragansett tribe to refrain from siding with the Pequot. The Narragansett tribe became the largest and most influential tribe in the region after the annihilation of the Pequot tribe.
Canochet Canonicus (1539 - June 4, 1647)
The son of Wessonsuoum Narragansett and Keshechoo Narragansetts Canochet was native to the Cape Cod area of current Massachusetts. Canonicus feared the arrival of the Pilgrims when they arrived in Plymouth during the fall of 1620. He sent a challenge to the Pilgrims in the form of a bundle of arrows bound together with a snake skin. Pilgrim leader William Bradford returned after filling the wrap with gunpowder and lead shot. The explosive powder, which the natives had no exposure to, caused fear among the them. In response, Canochet signed a treaty of alliance with the English that he would honor for the rest of his life. After Boston's leaders expelled Williams and his wife, Canochet gave them the land they needed to establish a colony. His influence lasted far beyond his death, as the Narragansett remained largely at peace with the English until the 1675 King Philip's War.
Providence Plantations
Williams called his new colony Providence Plantations, because he believed it was God's providence that sent him to the area.
Rhode Island
A year after Williams founded Providence Plantation, William Coddington, John Clarke, and Anne and William Hutchinson founded a colony they called Pocasset on an island they acquired from the natives. They changed the island's name from Rhode Island to Aquidneck Island, .
