The Story of Rhode Island

1636 - 1637 | After being banned from Massachusetts, Roger Williams founds the town of Providence, the freest society in 17th century western civilization.

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty by John M. Barry

Colonial Rhode Island: A History by Sydney V. James

God, War, and Providence: The Epic Struggle of Roger Williams and the Narragansett Indians Against the Puritans of New England by James A. Warren

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode and more go to The Story of Rhode Island website

What is The Story of Rhode Island?

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 2 we watched Roger Williams get banned from Massachusetts after vehemently defending his belief in religious freedom. For episode 3 we’ll follow Roger Williams after he’s just been kicked out of Massachusetts and cast out into the frigid New England wilderness. As the icy winds continuously bite at his cheeks, Williams buries his face into his coat, desperately hoping to get warm. The radical ministers couldn’t have chosen a worse time to be banned from Massachusetts. It’s the winter of 1636 and New England is in the middle of a time that we now refer to as the little ice age when temperatures dropped so low that even the Narragansett Bay froze over. As Williams body continues to shiver uncontrollably he knows that if he doesn’t find shelter soon then he’ll almost certainly freeze to death. Therefore, Williams is heading towards the winter encampment of the Pokanokets, located in present day Bristol, Rhode Island. Williams knows that his old friend, Oseymequin, will give him the shelter that the puritans refuse to provide. The conditions Williams finds himself in may be dire but he knows that if he can just survive the winter then he’ll finally be free, Free from the constraints of orthodox puritan society. On the other side of this journey is Williams' chance to build a new type of society. A society where people are given the freedom to worship god however they desire. Williams is determined to see such a place become a reality so he keeps pushing forward, he continues to persevere. In just a few months williams will see his dream finally come to fruition and a radical new society will be built in New England. The story of Roger Williams creating the first town in the future state of Rhode Island is what we’ll cover in episode 3 of the Story of Rhode Island podcast.

INTRO MUSIC

Williams is woken up by a fire that warms his weakened body. As his eyes slowly open, he sees a Pokanoket medicine woman hovering beside him. As she tends to the fire she also places animal furs on Williams to help warm his body. After traveling for weeks, Williams finally made it to Sowams, home of the Pokanoket tribe. Just when it seemed as though Williams may finally succumb to the harsh winter weather he managed to locate a rock that shielded him from the relentless winds. When members of the Pokanoket tribe found Williams asleep at that rock they built him a fire to provide him with some much needed warmth. This is the fire that Williams finds himself waking up to. After waking, Williams tries to sit up but is still too fragile. The medicine woman rubs her hand on his shoulder and tells him to rest. Then, Williams begins to squint his eyes and looks at the man standing next to the medicine woman. He can’t believe who he’s seeing. It’s his friend and the Pokanoket’s sachem, OH-SAY-ME-QUIN. While living in the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies Williams traded with the Pokanoket and during that time he cultivated a strong relationship with OH-SAY-ME-QUIN. The Pokanoket grew to trust Williams when they realized he was an open minded individual who genuinely respected their way of life. Williams smiles as he is happy to see his friend again and thankful that he can now spend time recovering from his dreadful journey. Williams wraps the furs tightly around his body and drifts back to sleep.

Over the next couple of weeks Williams remains at the rock and is slowly nursed back to health by the medicine woman. The English will later refer to her as Margaret and the place where she nursed Williams back to health will become known as “Margaret’s rock”. The rock still stands there today and is located in Swansea Massachusetts, just over the Warren, Rhode Island border. After healing, Williams is brought to the pokanokets winter encampment on Mount Hope in present day Bristol, Rhode Island. While the Pokanokets are happy to protect Williams from death he’s received no such sympathy from the Puritans in Massachusetts. During his time in the wilderness, Williams received a letter from John Cotton, the famed Puritan Minister who he argued about religious freedom with back in Massachusetts. The letter told Williams that if he were to die in the wilderness then so be it, it was his own sin that led Williams to such an outcome. When spring approaches, Williams moves to a piece of land that OH-SAY-ME-QUIN deeds him. The land is on the east bank of the seekonk river and located in modern day East Providence, RI. Then, with the weather growing warmer, Williams is joined by some of his followers from Salem. Williams is no longer alone in the wilderness as 6 other families have joined him. When Williams and the others find a spring on the land they’ve just been deeded they decide to build a settlement around the spring. If you ever find yourself in East Providence today drive down Roger Williams avenue and you can see a plaque off the side of the road marking the location of this spring. Unfortunately, williams and his followers from Salem soon discover that this won’t be the final location of their new home. In early April, the Governor of Plymouth informs them that they are still within the bounds of Plymouth territory and that they need to cross over onto the western side of the Seekonk River, into Narragansett territory. Having no choice but to agree, they begin packing up their belongings. Thankfully, Williams still has a strong friendship with the Narragansett Sachems, Canonicus and Miantonomi. Just like the pokanokets, Williams has cultivated this friendship through years of trade with the Narragansett’s. Therefore, Williams lets caninicus and miantonomi know he’s heading their way, hoping that they will be willing to help. When it’s finally time for them to leave, Williams and his followers jump into their canoes and head south down the Seekonk River. Roger Williams and his followers are discouraged that they have to leave the settlement they just built but soon enough they will find the freedom theyre looking for.

As Williams drives his paddle through the seekonk river he notices that he’s not able to move his canoe through the water as easily as he used to. His time in the wilderness has made him weak and he is forced to stop and catch his breath. As he does, one of the men on the journey pulls his canoe next to Williams. The man can tell williams is too proud to admit he needs a break so he lets Williams know that the other families would like a minute to rest. Williams can take the hint so he puts his paddle in his canoe and the two men begin to chat. The man Roger Williams is speaking to is William Arnold and his great-great-grandson, Benedict Arnold, will become one of the most infamous traitors in American history. Luckily for Roger Williams, those challenges will take place long after his lifetime but Williams will have some of his own problems with the Arnold family.. In just a few years the man Williams is speaking to will threaten to destroy the radical society Roger Williams is about to create when he helps Massachusetts claim jurisdiction over part of Providence. But that’s a story for another day because for now Roger Williams has yet to even build that new society. As the two men continue to chat, Williams notices the Narragansett Sachem, Miantonomi, and members of the Narragansett tribe standing on the western side of the Seekonk River. Williams, happy to see his friends, rows his canoe towards them. After landing his canoe on the sand he steps onto a piece of land that we now know as fox point and approaches the Narragansett men at the intersection of present day Gano and Williams street. Miantonomi greets Williams warmly and says “what cheer, KNEE - TOP” or the modern day equivalent of “how’s it going friend?”. As the two men begin to chat, Williams officially finds himself in Narragansett territory, home of the most powerful tribe in southern New England. The size and quality of the narragansetts land illustrates the tribe's power. Their land encompases most of modern day Rhode Island that sits to the west of Narragansett Bay as well as the island in the Bay. The Narragansett’s land is some of the most prized land in all of New England; its inlands provide lush land for farming while the bay acts a strategic location for seaborne trade. During the conversation Miantonomi tells Williams about a piece of land he can use for his new settlement. When Williams inquires about its location he’s happy to know that it’s only about a mile northwest from where they stand. Williams is elated and after gathering directions from Miantonomi he rushes back to his canoe to tell the families traveling with him. The men, women, and children breathe a sigh of relief as they finally have a place to call home. A place where they are free from the constraints they dealt with while in Massachusetts. So Williams and the other families with him, energized by the good news, hop into their canoes and continue down the river. The Families travel west down the river for about a mile while hugging the land we now know as fox point to the north. Then, they turn north up what we know today as the Providence River until they come to an intersection at which they continue straight up the Moshassuck River. As Roger Williams looks to his right he sees a plot of land at the base of a 200 foot-high hill that we know today as “college hill”. Williams, realizing this is the area Miantonomi was referring to, beaches his canoe, and steps onto the land. While still breathing heavily from his journey he makes his way up the steep hill and scans the land all around him. As he looks around he sees ancient forest trees to the west, the great bay to the south, and hillsides that are thickly wooded with oak and cedar trees. When Williams finally catches his breath he notices that the others have joined him at the top of the hill. As they all admire their new home they smile as they’ve finally found the freedom they are looking for, the freedom to build a new type of society. A society that will not persecute anyone for their religious beliefs. And that’s exactly what they do. Their town becomes the first place in the entire western world that allows for complete religious freedom and one where the church and the state act as two completely separate institutions. Then, the town becomes even more radical by setting up a democratic form of government where the future of the town is voted on by the head of each household, not a monarchy or parliament that the common people have little influence on. The town even allows a woman by the name of Alice Daniels to be a voting member after she becomes head of her household. When thinking on what to call the town, Roger Williams thinks about the merciful providence he’s received from God and how it was God’s providence that allowed him to overcome the challenges he’s encountered over the past several years. So in honor of that fact, Williams decides to call the town Providence and says that it will be a QUOTE “shelter for persons distressed of conscience” UNQUOTE. The fact that Roger Williams, a devoutly religious individual of the 17th century, chose to create such a free society is remarkable. Williams’ whole life is centered around living by the word of God and encouraging others to do so as well. It’s the single most important thing in his life. And everyone in the western world has been telling him that the only way to ensure people live by the word of god is by the state controlling the religious beliefs of its people and its churches. They’ve been telling him that if these things are not controlled then a society is bound to drift off into a world of sin and chaos. But Williams rejected such an idea. He’s seen what happens when the state attempts to control the religious beliefs of its people. The European monarchs have been attempting to do this for centuries and its led to nothing but war and internal conflict. On top of that, Williams refuses to accept the notion that the state has any right to control the religious beliefs of its citizens. So instead of control, Williams has chosen freedom. He’s not only given the people of Providence religious freedom but the freedom to democratically vote on the future of the town as well. By the time it’s all said and done Providence is THE freest society in the entire western world. So in 1636, on just a small piece of land in the heart of Narragansett territory, the tiny town of Providence is created and with it a brand new type of freedom in the western world.

Unfortunately, Roger Williams doesn’t get to celebrate for long because just months after Providence is created, the survival of the town is put into jeopardy. In the summer of 1636, it becomes clear that a war is about to break out between Massachusetts and the Pequot nation, one of the strongest tribes in southern New England. Initially, such a war does not seem so threatening to Providence as most of the fighting would likely take place in Pequot territory which is located in present day southern Connecticut, keeping Providence out of harm’s way. On top of that, it’s initially assumed that the Narragansetts will side with the English. This would give the English a decisive advantage, putting a quick end to the war and preventing it from spreading from out of southern Connecticut. However, as the end of summer approaches, Massachusetts finds out that the Pequots have been attempting to convince the Narragansetts to side with them instead of Massachusetts. If this were to happen it would mean the fighting would shift from southern Connecticut to Narragansett territory, putting Providence in the heart of the fighting. Such an outcome would almost certainly lead to the destruction of Providence. And the Narragansetts certainly have their reasons to team up with the Pequots. Over the past several years the Narragansetts have watched the English mistreat them time and time again and they’ve also watched their sovereignty slowly begin to fade away as well. This could be the Narragansetts last chance to protect the sovereignty of their tribe and defeat the English before they grow too strong. The combined size of the Narragansett and Pequot nations, along with their deep understanding of the terrain, could be enough to defeat the English forces. The English are well aware of this fact and the idea of a Pequot-Narragansett alliance horrifies them just as much as it does Roger Williams. Therefore, Massachusetts knows that they must do everything they can to ensure the Narragansetts side with them instead of the Pequots. They also know that the Narragansett sachems, Canonicus and Miantonomi, trust Roger Williams more than any other Englishman in New England. Therefore, in late August of 1636, the leaders of Massachusetts ask Roger Williams to travel into the heart of Narragansett territory so that he can try to convince the Narragansetts to side with Massachusetts instead of the Pequots. Or to put it more ironically, the people who just banned Roger Williams from their colony, not knowing if he’d make it through the winter alive, are now asking him to save their colony from potential destruction. As ironic as the request may be, Williams knows that he has no choice. If the Narragansetts choose to fight alongside the Pequots then Providence will almost certainly be destroyed. He must do everything he can to prevent that from occurring. So in early September of 1636, Roger Williams hops into his canoe, travels 30 miles south down Narragansett Bay, and marches straight into a Narragansett & Pequot war council completely uninvited. Roger Williams will now attempt to save the town he just created from being destroyed.

As Roger Williams sits at the center of a large, smokey wigwam filled with hundreds of Narragansett warriors he can’t help but to be nervous. All around him are the fiercest men of the most powerful tribe in southern New England and most of them have developed a deep hatred for the English. Williams can feel some of this hatred directly towards him as he is the only white man in the entire village filled with thousands of Narragansetts. Thankfully, he’s comforted by the fact that he’s sitting next to their great Sachem, Canonicus, a man who deeply respects Williams and is allowing him to participate in these discussions even though he was not invited. But that sense of comfort quickly fades away when he looks across the wigwam and sees ambassadors from the Pequot Nation glaring at him. Their eyes are filled with hatred. Its easy to understand why they hold so much resentment towards Williams when one considers what’s at stake. The Pequots are about to go to war with Massachusetts and they know that if the Narragansetts choose to side with Massachusetts then they’ll almost certainly lose the war. So as they look at this white man, a white man who once lived in the same colony they are about to go to war with, they see a man who's attempting to destroy their tribe. Williams feels the hatred in their glare so he quickly turns away and directs his sights back to the passionate conversations taking place. As the debate rages on, men from the Pequot Nation explain to Canonicus how unless they team up and put a stop to the English then they’ll eventually take all of the natives' land, leaving them with nothing. This could be their last chance to put a stop to the English expansionist designs before they grow too strong. When the Pequot ambassadors pause for a moment, Williams looks at Canonicus and Miantonomi to gauge their reactions. Williams struggles to decipher Canonicus’ sentiments as he sits there with a stoic look on his face. However, the thoughts of the younger, more passionate Sachem, Miantonomi, are far easier to decipher. Miantonomi may have a strong friendship with Williams but for the most part he deeply mistrusts the English. As Williams looks at Miantonomi’s face he can tell that he’s being persuaded by the Pequot ambassadors. Williams knows that he must insert himself into the conversation so he asks for permission to speak. Canonicus allows it. As Williams starts to speak his voice begins to tremble as the eyes of the entire wigwam are now shifted towards him. He once again feels the Pequots glare from across the wigwam. Williams starts his argument by reminding Canonicus and Miantonomi about the power of the English. They may not have the numbers but their superior technology gives them a great advantage. He reminds them that by siding with the English it guarantees them a victory and ensures the survival of the Narragansett tribe. Williams can see that his words are resonating with Canonicus. As enticing as it may be to side with the Pequots, Canonicus also knows that it’s extremely risky. If they go that route and lose the war then it would mean thousands of his people would die and potentially the destruction of their tribe. Williams realizes his arguments are working so he continues speaking. But then Williams makes a mistake. Williams attempts to vouch for the character of the English and claims that they’ve have done nothing to show otherwise. As soon as Williams finishes his statement he realizes that he’s made a mistake. Williams can tell that Miantonomi is furious that he’s even dared to make such a claim. Miantonomi angrily stands up and is about to respond to Williams' statement but he stops when he realizes that their great Sachem, Canonicus, has something to say. Canonicus politely tells his Miantomi to sit so that he can address Williams point. Canoncus places his long tobacco pipe on the ground and slowly begins to rise. His elderly body aches as he lifts it off of the dirt floor. The entire wigwam becomes completely silent. As is to be expected when a great man of few words begins to speak. Canonicus then takes a small stick, breaks it into 10 pieces, and lays them at the center of the wigwam. The elderly sachem picks up one of the sticks, holds it up in front of Williams, and describes a time when the English had wronged them in trade. Then, he picks up another stick and tells Williams about a time the English had wronged one of their sub-tribes and disrespected their Sachem. As Canonicus continues to describe a time the English have wronged their tribe for each of the sticks he picks up, Williams can feel the sweat dripping from his forehead. Throughout the process, Williams can’t help but to be reminded about his recent banishment from Massachusetts and how Canonicus has a point. Williams stands there quietly for a moment and isn’t sure what exactly to say so he tries to redirect the conversation back to the strength of the English. He tries to remind Canonicus that allying with the English, as imperfect as they may be, is the Narragansett’s best chance for survival. The debate continues on for another couple of hours until Canonicus decides that they’ve had enough for today and that they will continue on tomorrow morning. Williams stays the night and participates in the discussions that take place the following day. Then, when nothing is resolved on the second day, he stays the next day as well. But after three days of intense discussion, Canonicus decides that he’s heard enough and ends the war council. He tells Williams and the Pequots that he will discuss what he’s heard with Miantonomi and make a decision when they’re ready. This answer bothers Williams as he was hoping to leave the war council with a definitive answer from the Narragansetts. But that’s not the case and now Williams will just have to wait and see what the Narragansetts choose to do. The fate of Providence lay in the decision of the Narragansetts.

It’s October of 1636, almost two months after the Narragansett-Pequot war council, and Roger Williams is sitting in his house with his friend, Williams Blackstone. Blackstone moved to Narragansett territory about a year before Williams founded the town of Providence. In 1635, Blackstone grew tired of the large influx of orthodox Puritans moving into Boston so he sold his property to the Puritans and moved to present day Cumberland, Rhode Island. The land he sold to the puritans is known as Boston Commons today. On this fall day, Roger Williams and William Blackstone are celebrating good news. They’ve just been informed that the Narragansetts have decided to ally themselves with Massachusetts instead of the Pequots. Blackstone congratulates Williams for his efforts as he knows his journey into the war council helped to sway the Narragansetts away from allying with the Pequots. But the Pequot Nation has a very different reaction to the news as their tribe now has to go to war with not only Massachusetts but the Narragansett tribe as well. The war proves to be disastrous for the Pequot Nation. Today, the war is known as the Pequot War and by the end of it, the Pequot Nation is almost completely destroyed. During one of the battles of the Pequot War, the Narragansetts witness the English massacre hundreds of Pequot men, women, and children who refuse to come out of a surrounded Pequot fort. The Narragansetts are disgusted by the actions of the English and begin telling them that there’s no need for such violence. But the English refuse to listen and their actions are meant to prove a point; any native tribe that dares to threaten the English will face complete destruction. The Narragansetts decision to side with the Pequots certainly proves to be disastrous for the future of the Pequot nation but it does ensure the survival of Providence. This also means that Roger Williams' radical experiment in religious freedom is able to live on as well. And soon enough, Williams is about to watch his experiment grow. Because while the Pequot War is raging on there’s yet another religious zealot stirring up trouble in Massachusetts. By the end of 1637, this person has managed to create an influential following in Massachusetts and the colony finds itself completely divided. This remarkable person is a woman by the name of Anne Hutchinson and she’s about to be banned from Massachusetts. When that happens her followers will take refuge on an island in Narragansett territory and create Rhode Island’s second and third towns. But that’s a story for next time, on episode 4 of the Story of Rhode Island Podcast.

More episodes

Chapters

What is The Story of Rhode Island?