Roger Williams and His World

Roger Williams, a 17th-century English immigrant to New England, was famously banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 for his "new and dangerous opinions" on religious freedom, the separation of church and state, and Indigenous land rights. Following his banishment, Williams settled the town of Providence with the permission of the Narragansett Sachems, creating a colony that was arguably the freest in the western world.
Williams is the most written-about person of 17th-century New England, yet he is notoriously difficult to read. This collection draws together a wide range of primary sources by and about Williams in order to make this history accessible to a broad audience. It frames Williams within his wider world, encompassing all aspects of his life, from the famous to the lesser known. The included source texts vividly bring to life Williams's early years in England, his migration to New England, his banishment, the founding of Providence, his revolutionary views on religious freedom and the separation of church and state, and the wide-ranging interactions he had with Indigenous peoples. This collection draws you into his 17th-century world firsthand, revealing the competing impulses and tensions at play.

Charlotte Carrington-Farmer is Professor of History at Roger Williams University.