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The history of Rhode Island is truly remarkable. The Story of Rhode Island is my humble attempt to tell you some of the stories about the people, places, and events that have made Rhode Island the state it is today.
To learn more about the show visit the Story of Rhode Island Podcast website at https://www.storyofrhodeisland.com/
Hello and welcome to the story of Rhode Island. The Podcast that tells you the story of Rhode Island’s fascinating history. In episode 4 we watched Anne Hutchinson’s followers create the towns of Portsmouth and Newport, helping to grow Roger Williams’ experiment in religious freedom. But for episode 5, we’ll watch the survival of his experiment be put in jeopardy when Massachuestts begins threatening to destroy the sovereignty of Providence, Portsmouth and Newport. As we jump back to 17th century New England, it’s the dead of winter in 1642 and a group of Massachusetts magistrates are having an intense discussion in a Boston meetinghouse. Massachusetts has a problem. The population of their colony has drastically increased over the past decade making them desperate for new land. And it just so happens that the religious outcasts who they’ve recently banned from their colonies have what they so achingly desire, a piece of Narragansett territory. When the Puritan leaders think of the Narragansett territory they picture endless miles of some of the most fertile farmland in all of New England. It infuriates them to know that Roger Williams and his counterparts have managed to claim ownership over part of this land. The leaders of Massachusetts decide they will make it their mission to engulf these radical towns into their colony so that they can expand into Narragansett territory. In just a matter of months their plan will begin to unfold and Massachusetts will claim jurisdiction over part of Providence. Then, they’ll add another one of the towns into their jurisdiction as well and before king it begins to look as though Massachusetts expansionist designs will succeed. Roger Williams will eventually realize that the radical towns only chance of remaining sovergn is to come together as one and unite as a single colony. To accomplish this, Williams will have to convince the English government to grant him a charter for the most radical colony in western civilization. The story of Roger Williams fighting Massachusetts expansionist designs and eventually founding the Colony of Rhode Island is what we’ll cover in episode 5 of the story of Rhode Island Podcast.
INTRO MUSIC
Roger Williams is having a great day. It’s the summer of 1642 and he’s relaxing at his trading post located in present day North Kingstown, just outside of Wickford village. But during the time of his visit, the area is known as cocumscussoc and it's in the heart of Narragansett territory. Surrounding Williams are members of the Narragansett nation who are leisurely tending to their crops. Williams’ trading post lies along an ancient trail that's been used by the Narragansett and Pequot people for hundreds if not thousands of years. It’s known as the Pequot path. Over the next few centuries the Pequot path will be widened, paved, and turned into a road. Today, that road is known as scenic route 1a. Sitting alongside Williams at his trading post in cocumscussoc is his friend and Narragansett Sachem, Miantonomi. The two men converse in Algonquin, the language used by the native people of New England. Williams takes notes while the Sachem tells him about the Narragansett’s culture. In the midst of their conversation Miantonomi chuckles for a minute and begins shaking his head. As a curious look emerges on Williams’ face, Miantonomi tells him that he’s impressed by just how fluent he’s become in Algonquin. He nudges Williams, and explains how for a while there he wasn’t sure if Williams would ever pick up the language. The two laugh and for the next couple of hours Miantonomi continues telling his friend about his people’s culture and helps him become even more fluent in Algonquin. Eventually, the sachem asks Williams what he plans to do with all of his notes. Williams just shrugs his shoulders and says that he’s not really sure. “Maybe I’ll write a book”, he responds jokingly. Eventually, it gets late and the two men part ways as they head home for bed. But as Williams heads home he remembers that he has to return to Providence tomorrow morning, meaning that he’ll once again have to deal with the headaches that come with running a newly built town. He’s managed to escape these annoyances over the past couple of days as his trading post in cocumscussoc has become somewhat of a vacation spot for him. So just like any of us today who are approaching the end of a vacation, Williams lets out a deep sigh and anxiously thinks about the work he’ll soon return to. But what he doesn’t know is that the aggravations he’s about to face will be far more difficult than he could ever imagine.
Shortly after returning to Providence, Williams learns that William Arnold and Samuel Gorton are once again in a heated confrontation. The names of these two men may be familiar to you. We were introduced to William Arnold back in episode 3. You may recall Williams speaking to Arnold while in his canoe or perhaps as being the great, great grandfather of the infamous Benedict Arnold. Samuel Gorton was introduced the very next episode when we heard about how he ousted William Coddington from power in Portsmouth only to end up getting banned from Aquidneck Island himself. Since then, Gorton and his devoted followers, a group of men known as Gortonites, have moved to Providence. Unfortunately for the stability of Providence, Samuel Gorton and the Gortonites have been feuding with the William Arnold faction since they first arrived and now Roger Williams fears of their feuds escalating into more than just a furry of harsh words has come true. The founder of Providence has just been informed that the two groups of men have their weapons drawn and are about to end up in a gunfight in the tiny village of Pawtuxet. Today, Pawtuxet village is part of Cranston but during the time of the Samuel Gorton and William Arnold’s feud it’s still within the bounds of Providence. Thankfully, Williams makes it to Pawtuxet just in time and is able to deescalate the situation before anyone fires a gun, an impressive feat given the temper of Samuel Gorton. Then, Town arbitrators are brought in and Gorton is lightly reprimanded when it’s determined that he started the conflict. Williams is able to breathe a sigh of relief as it seems like the situation is finally resolved. But that’s not how William Arnold sees it. Arnold’s had enough of Gorton’s fiery ways and wants him out of not only Pawtuxet but all of Providence. Arnold’s willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen even if it means reaching out to Massachusetts for help. So that’s exactly what he does and the puritans' plans to expand their borders into Narragansett territory begins to unfold.
A couple of weeks after the feud in Pawtuxet, the Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, is sitting at his home in Boston when he begins opening up a letter he received earlier that day. As Winthrop reads the letter his eyes grow wide. Then, as he reads some more an evil grin emerges on his face. The letter is from William Arnold and it states how things have gotten out of hand in Pawtuxet. Samuel Gorton and his rowdy followers have been wreaking havoc in the village for years now and he needs Massachusetts help to restore order. To say Winthrop is elated by the contents of this letter would be an understatement. Since the early 1630s he’s watched people flood into Massachusetts at an alarming rate, skyrocketing their population from 1300 people to over 14000. Because of this Massachusetts has been anxious to expand their borders and the magistrates unanimously agree that the Narragansett territory would be ideal. The Narragansett Territory is a large area of land that encompasses most of present day Providence, Kent, and Washington County, Rhode Island along with the island inside of Narragansett bay. The region is filled with some of the most fertile soil in New England along with 40 miles of coastline that makes it a strategic location for seaborne trade. Aside from the town of Providence, the small village of Pawtuxet, and the towns on aquidneck, all of this land is owned by the Narragansett nation. Remnants of the tribe's power and influence over the region are made evident to us to this very day. Places like Pawtuxet, Cowesett, and Shawomet are lasting impressions of the various sub tribes of the Narragansett nation who inhabited the land long before us. Unfortunately for Winthrop, Massachusetts has been unable to get their Puritan hands on any of this land. It seems as though Williams and the Narragansetts have an unwritten agreement to keep Massachusetts out of the territory. And as much as Winthrop wants to, he can’t just walk into Narragansett territory and steal the land from Roger Williams and the other religious outcasts. But this is why Winthrop is so excited about the letter he’s just received from William Arnold. He knows that Arnold’s plea for help gives him a reason to claim jurisdiction over part of Providence and enables them to claim a piece of Narragansett territory under the guise of restoring order. So with a grin on his face, Winthrop writes to Arnold and tells him that if he agrees to grant Massachusetts jurisdiction of Pawtuxet then he’d be happy to come to his aid. Arnold, having little care about the detrimental effects of such an action, accepts the offer and in the Fall of 1642, Pawtuxet village is handed over to Massachusetts. The Puritans finally have their long awaited foothold in Narragansett territory. Needless to say, Williams is furious when he hears the news. He knows that Massachusetts will try to keep expanding deeper into the region and attempt to engulf Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport into their colony. Roger Williams now must find a way to protect the sovereignty of their towns. While Williams is working on a plan to save their towns, Massachusetts sends soldiers into Pawtuxet to have Samuel Gorton arrested. Samuel Gorton flees the area and heads south deeper into Narragansett territory. It’s during this dire period when we see the birth of the 4th town in the future state of Rhode Island. Its inception takes place on a freezing January day in 1643.
Aside from their relentless desire to get warm, the two parties of men sitting in the wigwam have little in common. As they eye each other cautiously, the icy winds bouncing off of Narragansett Bay can be heard slamming against the walls of the wigwam. The two groups of men are about 4 ½ miles south of Pawtuxet and the meeting taking place is purely transactional as a large plot of land is about to be sold. Half of the men in the wigwam, the sellers of the land, are part of the Shawomet and Pawtuxet tribes, both tributary tribes of the powerful Narragansett nation. Their sachems sit there quietly while the smoke from their tobacco pipes fills fills the air. The other party of men sitting across from them are Samuel Gorton and his devoted followers. They eventually begin engaging in small talk with the sachems while taking a few ceremonial puffs out of the tobacco pipe. Overtime, a mutual respect is eventually develops between the two groups of men. Their respect grows even stronger when they realize that they both despise the intrusive ways of the Orthodox Puritan leaders of Massachusetts. Finally, the two parties come to an agreement and the Gortonites purchase a large tract of land from the tribes. The total size of the land is about 95 square miles and it encompasses most of present day Warwick, West Warwick, and Coventry Rhode Island. Initially, the Gortonites name their town Shawomet but by the end of the decade the town is renamed Warwick. Samuel Gorton leaves the meeting with his head held high. He’s not only evaded the Massachusetts soldiers in Pawtuxet but is now the leader of his own town. But while Gorton is celebrating the founding of Warwick, Williams is making preparations to embark on the most challenging mission of his life. Williams and the leaders of the towns around Narragansett Bay have agreed that there’s only one way to protect their sovereignty. They must obtain a charter from the English government, uniting their towns into a single colony. To make this happen, Roger Williams must travel back to England and speak with Parliament directly. As the aging minister sits on the ship that’s taking him back to England, he can’t believe that he’s once again making the dreadful journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
It was over a decade ago when Roger Williams was just a young, radical minister traveling across the Atlantic so that he could escape the religious persecution he faced in England. Now, at the age of 40, Williams is on his way back to England so that he can ask the English government to grant him a charter for a colony that gives their people complete religious freedom. So while Father Time hasn’t been able to dull any of Williams' radical ways he's certainly found other ways have an effect on Williams. The not so young minister notices that the turbulent trip across the Atlantic is far harder on his body than it was back in 1631. And it doesn’t help that his odds of actually getting a charter are extremely low. Not only is he going to be asking the English government to allow him to create perhaps the most radical colony that’s ever to exist in the western world, he's going to be doing so while England is in the middle of a civil war. King Charles has been ousted from power and parliament is now desperately fighting to retain power. When Williams arrives in England, he’ll be asking Parliament to take time out of their busy civil war schedule to grant him a charter for his colony. Oh, and one more thing, Roger Williams will have some competition as well because the far wealthier and more resourceful colony of Massachusetts has also decided to throw their hat into the ring. The Puritans have two agents of their own in London working to obtain a charter that would make the lands around Narragansett Bay part of their colony. So yes, there’s a lot on Roger Williams' mind as he travels back to England. To take his mind off of the task at hand, Williams decides to keep himself occupied. He does so by writing a book detailing what Miantonomi taught him about the Narragansetts language and culture. As he writes the book, he grows excited thinking about how he'll get to show it to Mianantomi when he returns to America. “Perhaps I’ll surprise him with the book during one of his visits to my home in Providence”, Williams thinks to himself. But what Williams doesn’t know is that shortly after he arrives in London he’ll receive some deeply upsetting news about his friend, Miantonomi. This news is delivered to Williams via a letter that he opens up on a frigid London morning in the fall of 1643
As Roger Williams releases the letter from his cold hands it slowly drops onto the wooden floorboards beneath his chair. Williams is devastated. The letter states how earlier that summer Miantonomi was captured by the Mohegans, a rival tribe of the Narragansetts. Since the Mohegan’s have an alliance with Massachusetts, they leaned on the Puritan’s guidance to determine what should be done with Miantonomi. Massachusetts, having grown increasingly fearful of the Sachem over the past several years, instructed the Mohegans to execute Miantonomi. The Mohegans obliged and in August of 1643 the Narragansett sachem was killed. The death of Miantonomi is a heavy blow to Williams. While the men were from two completely different backgrounds they spent numerous hours together and developed a deep respect for each other. but the pain it causes Williams doesn’t end there. Williams also learns that Massachusetts has expanded further into Narragansett territory. William Arnold teamed up with Massachusetts and convinced the sachems who sold Samuel Gorton the land for Warwick to say that Miantonomi forced them to sell the land to Gorton, making Gorton’s purchase invalid. With Miantonomi no longer there to defend himself, Massachusetts marched soldiers into Gorton’s town and arrested Gorton after getting into a gunfight with his followers. The Massachusetts magistrates once again said they were there to restore order and claimed jurisdiction of Warwick just like they had done in Pawtuxet. So as the winter of 1643 approaches, Massachusetts’ campaign to expand into Narragansett territory has proven to be a huge success. If you were a betting man in 1643 and you had to bet on which colony would end up having ownership of Narragansett territory, you’d be a fool not to put your money on Massachusetts. I mean, the other main contender is literally a colony that doesn’t even exist yet. Roger Williams is well aware of just how dire the situation is and knows his mission is more critical than ever. So with the odds stacked against him, Roger Williams does what he always does, he keeps fighting. He keeps advocating for the radical little towns around Narragansett Bay and the Colony he wants to turn them into. He starts by publishing the book that Miantonomi never got to see, the one about his people's language and culture. Williams names the book “A Key Into the Language of America”. With his friend in mind, Williams reminds the English that all are equal under the eyes of God, both the English and the natives in America. The puritans of Massachusetts may ignorantly paint the natives as heathen savages but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The book states, quote “Boast not proud English, of thy birth & blood. Thy brother Indian is by birth as Good.” unquote. The book also disproves the excuses Massachusetts has been making for their failure to convert the natives to Christianity and demonstrates Williams’ superior knowledge of the natives in New England. The book is a huge success. It immediately elevates Williams' stature in society and he quickly becomes a man people are willing to listen to. Knowing that his voice is now being heard, Williams continues on the offensive. He publishes a pamphlet that illustrates how Massachusetts has been abusing their power in America and how the towns around Narragansett Bay deserve the right to be protected with a charter. Massachusetts has been known to overstep their boundaries so the pamphlet is extremely damaging to Massachusetts. Then, Williams seals the deal by leaning on his internal allies in Parliament, men like Sir Robert Rich the Earl of Warwick, Sir Thomas Barrington, and Sir Henry Vane jr. These men vouch for the character of Williams and help him get the support he needs from parliament. And finally, in March of 1644, Roger Williams achieves success and convinces parliament to grant him a charter for his radical colony. The once 4 separate towns around Narragansett bay are now officially united as one and their sovereignty protected by the English government. The colony of Rhode Island is born.
Legend states that when Roger Williams returns to Providence with a charter for Rhode island men, women, and children, both Narragansett and English alike, gather around his canoe to celebrate his great success. As could be said of most legends, nobody can say for sure if that story is true or not. But what we do know to be true is that Rhode Island’s fight for survival is far from over. While the charter is a huge victory for the religious outcasts, Massachusetts is unable to resist their desire for land in Narragansett territory and for the next several decades they continue protesting to the English government that part of that land is rightfully theirs. But during the mid 17th century, Massachusetts isn’t even the biggest threat to Rhode Island’s survival. Instead their biggest threat comes from within. The people of Rhode Island are completely void of any type of unity that’s needed to survive as a new colony. They’re so resistant to centralized authority that the colony’s government proves to be utterly useless. To make it worse, some of the people within Rhode Island don’t even want their town to be united with the other towns. And It just so happens that one of those people is one of the most powerful men in the entire colony, William Coddington, the man who founded Newport back in 1639. When William Coddington finds out that Portsmouth and Newport are now united with Providence and Warwick he’s furious. He’s confident that the towns in Narragansett territory will just slow Newport’s growth. This sets Coddington on a mission to remove the towns on aquidneck from Williams’ colony and by 1651 he succeeds. With the colony split in two it seems almost inevitable that Rhode Island will falter completely. The radical little colony built around Narragansett Bay will have to find the unity needed to survive or watch its time come to an abrupt end. But that’s a story for next time, on episode 6 of the story of Rhode Island podcast.