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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 3 we watched Roger Williams create and then defend the town of Providence, the most radical society in the western world. For episode 4 we’ll watch Roger Williams’ experiment in religious freedom grow when another group of religious outcasts flee Massachusetts in search of religious freedom. We’ll start by taking a look at the leader of this group, a 46 year old mother of 12 named Anne Hutchinson. It’s November of 1637, and Anne’s just been summoned to court by the Massachusetts magistrates. With the eyes of the crowded meetinghouse directed towards her, Anne Hutchinson stands there with a stoic look on her face. The people looking at her can be sharply divided into one of two categories; those who support her and those who wish to see her banned from the colony. The leaders of the latter category, the Massachusetts magistrates, sit high above her with an infuriated look on their faces. One of these men is the Governor of Massachusetts and a man we’ve met before, John Winthrop. Sitting beside Winthrop is his deputy Governor and a man who's known to be a ruthless disciplinarian, Thomas Dudley. While the two men often disagree on how to deal with religious zealots, today they find themselves in complete agreement. Anne Hutchinson’s religious views have stirred up far too much trouble in Massachusetts so she must be banned from their colony. The men will prove to be successful in their mission but not before they experience first-hand the brilliance of the woman standing in front of them. After being banned from Massachusetts, Anne Hutchinson and her followers will take up refuge with Roger Williams in Narragansett territory and Williams will watch his experiment in religious freedom grow. The story of Anne Hutchinson’s fight with the Puritan leaders of Massachusetts and how it leads to the creation of Rhode Island’s second and third towns is what we’ll cover in episode 4 of the Story of Rhode Island podcast.
Intro Music
John Winthrop emphatically slams his gavel on the table three times. It’s as if he is telling the people of Massachusetts that the controversial opinions of Anne Hutchinson will no longer be tolerated and that the outspoken woman at the center of the meetinghouse will be silenced once and for all. Winthrop looks at her supporters with disgust, not understanding how they could have so much respect for the views of a woman. He then shifts his view towards Anne Hutchinson herself. Just her appearance is enough to insult him. While her mostly black attire matches the style of the day, the confidence in her demeanor is the antithesis of how Winthrop expects a woman to act. Anne Hutchinson looks right back at Winthrop with a determined look on her face, letting him know she’s ready for the showdown that’s about to ensue. Then, Winthrop takes a minute to stand up and makes his initial statement to the people of the court. He states, QUOTE “Mistress Hutchinson, you are called here as one of those that have troubled the peace of the commonwealth and the churches here. You are known to be a woman that hath had a great share in promoting and divulging of those opinions that are the cause of this trouble.” UNQUOTE. Winthrop's initial statement is certainly accurate as Anne Hutchinson’s religious views have shattered the unity of the colony and the town has grown completely divided. The Governor then continues to explain to the court how Anne has gone about sharing her controversial opinions. Winthrop states, QUOTE “You have maintained a meeting and an assembly in your house that has been condemned by the general assembly as a thing not tolerable nor comely in the sight of god nor fitting for your sex.” UNQUOTE. The meetings that John Winthrop is referring to, the ones he finds so insulting for a woman to be hosting, are the meetings that Anne hosted at her house so that she could expand on the minister’s sermons that occurred earlier in the week. Initially, these meetings were simply used to help others further understand the word of God. As word of Anne’s deep understanding of the bible spread, the meetings grew to the point where 20% of Boston’s entire adult population were attending her meeting. However, these meetings became problematic when Anne started criticizing the minister's abilities to preach about a topic that’s very important to the Puritans, the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace is essentially the belief that one can only find salvation through the grace of god and that there’s nothing an individual can do to affect whether or not they go to heaven. Since the Puritans are devout believers in predestination they firmly believe in the covenant of grace. Anne then began telling her followers that there are only two ministers in all of Massachusetts who clearly preach about the covenant of grace; her brother in law, John Wheelwright, and the famous Puritan minister, John Cotton. Overtime, the town of Boston became completely divided over the views of Anne Hutchinson. As John Winthrop looks at the courtroom on this frigid November day he can see that division in the crowd. When Winthrop finishes making his statement to the court, Anne begins citing scripture to explain why women have just as much right as men to host biblical meetings. First, she tells the biblical story of when Paul told Titus that the elder women should instruct others in the community so that the people can better understand the word of God. John Winthrop is not pleased and criticizes her example so Anne quotes another piece of scripture. This time Anne reminds Governor Winthrop of how Apollo became an excellent minister after receiving instruction from a woman named Priscilla. Although providing Winthrop with another perfectly suitable example Winthrop once again tells her that the scripture she’s quoted is insufficient. At this point, Anne becomes annoyed and sarcastically asks John Winthrop how much proof she needs to show him? Does she need to show him a piece of scripture that has her name written in it? Anne Hutchinson’s supporters find themselves entertained by Anne’s wit so they can’t help but to chuckle amongst themselves. One of the people laughing is a man by the name of William Coddington, one of Anne’s most powerful supporters and without a doubt her richest supporter. William Coddington has become so economically successful in Boston that he’s built the town’s very first brick house, an impressive feat given how rare brick was in 17th century New England. Coddington was at one point a magistrate himself but has since lost that position after choosing to support Anne Hutchinson’s controversial views. Chuckling alongside William Coddington is Anne’s husband, William Hutchinson. William made a fortune after inheriting his father’s textile business in England and brought that wealth with him when moving to Massachusetts with his wife in 1634. However, the respect William Hutchinson once had from the magistrates of Massachusetts has completely withered away after it became clear he would make no attempt to silence his wifes outspoken ways. When William Coddington and William Hutchinson take a moment to lift their heads up from laughing they realize that the magistrates are furiously looking their way. The two men quickly wipe the smirks off of their faces as if they were a couple of schoolboys who just got caught laughing in class. The Deputy Governor, Thomas Dudley, does not find Anne’s wit very entertaining so he shifts the topic back to the primary issue at hand, Anne’s criticism of the Massachusetts ministers. Dudley begins telling the courts how Anne has claimed that the ministers do not preach about a covenant of grace but preach in favor of a covenant of works instead. Such a claim, if proven true, would be extremely damning for Anne and certainly enough reason to have her banned from Massachusetts. The term covenant of works directly contradicts the Puritans belief that God has already predetermined who will go to heaven because it’s saying that an individual’s works can have an effect on their salvation. But Anne quickly corrects Dudley and explains how she never said such a thing. Instead, she was simply saying that the Massachusetts ministers do not preach a covenant of grace AS CLEARLY as John Cotton and John Wheelwright. John Winthrop jumps in and loudly exclaims to the court that she’s lying. Anne Hutchinson, unphased by his unnecessarily loud tone, dares him to prove it. She challenges him to call up witnesses to testify that she said the ministers only preach about a covenant of works. John Winthrop is taken back by the audacity of Anne Hutchinson. “How dare this woman challenge me?” he thinks to himself. So Winthrop takes her up the challenge and calls up 6 ministers to tell the court about the criticisms they’ve heard from Hutchinson. The ministers provide their testimonies to the court but none are able to definitively claim that Anne said they only preach a covenant of works. Annoyed by their testimonies Winthrop continues to push them to think harder and continues to bombard them with questions. But to Winthrop’s surprise none are able to give him the evidence he needs to find Anne guilty. Anne then calls up her witnesses of her own. These witnesses corroborate Anne’s statements and claim that Anne was simply saying that the ministers do not preach a covenant of grace AS CLEARLY as John Wheelwright and John Cotton. As the hours pass, it’s beginning to look as though the magistrates will never find a reason to ban Anne from their colony. William Coddington and William Hutchinson begin to breathe a sigh of relief as things are going her way. However, the sense of relief that Anne’s supporters feel quickly withers away when Anne begins addressing the courtroom on her own accord. Anne states QUOTE “If you please give me leave I shall give you the grounds of what I know to be true” UNQUOTE. William Hutchinson can tell by his wife’s voice that she’s about to make a very bold statement so he becomes worried. The magistrates are caught off guard by her tone as well and find themselves threatened by the very fact that Anne is addressing the court without being asked a question. Anne then continues to tell the court how years ago she received a revelation through scripture and she now knows who is a true teacher of the Lord and who is not. She tells the court how since that day she’s only been willing to hear the preaching of John Cotton and John Wheelwright as none other would suffice. As Anne continues to tell the crowd about her revelation through scripture the crowd watches along in awe. In Puritan New England, It was rare for even a minister to have a revelation through scripture but for a woman to have one was almost entirely unacceptable. But the courtroom has yet to hear the end of Anne’s point as she still has more to say. Anne states QUOTE “For the lord has let me distinguish between the voice of my beloved and the voice of the antichrist” UNQUOTE. When one of the magistrates asks her how she knew it was the lord that was instructing her of such a thing she responds with a question of her own. Anne asks, how was it that Abraham knew that it was the Lord who instructed him to murder his son and break the sixth commandment? To which Thomas Dudley responds QUOTE “by an immediate voice” UNQUOTE. To which Anne replies QUOTE “So to me, by an immediate revelation” UNQUOTE. As soon as the words leave Anne’s mouth William Coddington and William Hutchinson look at each other in shock. They can’t believe what they’ve just heard. Along with saying she’s had a revelation through scripture Anne is now also claiming that she had an immediate revelation as well. Such a claim is acceptable for ministers and nobody else, certainly not a woman. By making such a claim Anne is committing heresy, a crime punishable by banishment. John Winthrop, knowing he now has what he needs to ban Anne from Massachusetts smiles. On the other hand, William Hutchison sits in the crowd hoping that she’ll recant her statement. But Anne does not, she’s fully devoted to the act of defiance she’s committing. Dudley slams his fist on the table and once again asks how she knew she was receiving guidance from the lord. To which Anne once again responds that it was by an immediate revelation. Anne, in reaffirming her claim of having experienced a direct revelation from God, has officially committed heresy. And at that very moment, Anne’s fate is sealed. The court session carries on for another couple of hours and Anne Hutchinson’s followers try to vouch for her innocence but it doesn’t matter. The magistrates will not allow a woman to claim she’s capable of having the same type of connection with God as the Puritans brightest ministers. Knowing that Anne will be forced to leave Massachusetts after the winter, her followers begin secretly meeting to determine where they will go next. It’s during this difficult period where William Coddington becomes the new leader of the Hutchinson party and will begin playing a pivotal role in the history of Rhode Island.
As Anne Hutchinson sits alone in house arrest during the winter of 1637 and 1638, William Coddington begins communicating with Roger Williams. Williams tells Coddington that Anne’s supporters should join him in Narragansett territory. Williams' tiny town of Providence has managed to remain sovereign for almost two years now and that there’s an island in Narragansett Bay that would be a perfect place for a new settlement. Williams tells Coddington how some people call the island Aquidneck but how many people also refer to it as Rode Island. Coddington has heard other Englishmen call Aquidneck Island Rode Island as well but has never understood why they call it that name. Therefore, he asks Williams where the name Rode Island came from. To which Williams replies…well we actually don’t know what Williams would have told Coddington because nobody can say for sure where the name Rode Island came from, an unfortunate truth given the future importance of the name. However, there are some theories.
One theory states that it’s because when the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano visited Narragansett Bay in 1524 he noticed how one of the islands was the same size as the Greek Island of Rhodes. Some historians believe that early English settlers thought Verrazzano was referring to Aquidneck Island which inspired them to call it Rhode Island. On the other hand, some believe that it’s tied to the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block and how in 1614 he noticed a reddish island at the mouth of the Narragansett Bay. Since the word for “red island” in Old Dutch is pronounced Roadt-aye-land it is theorized that the name was eventually turned into Rode Island. Unfortunately, neither of these theories have been definitively proven so we may never know for sure where the name Rode Island came from. Now there’s one other thing I’d like to mention before we jump back into the story. Although the English colonists may have called Aquidneck Island, Rode Island, I will not be doing so for this podcast because I think it will create confusion. Instead I will only refer to Aquidneck Island as Aquidneck island and I will use the term Rhode Island when speaking about the colony or state of Rhode Island. Okay, back to the story.
Eventually, Roger Williams convinces William Coddington, the de facto leader of the Hutchinson party, to build their settlement on Aquidneck Island. So with the location of their new home now selected, Anne’s followers sign a document uniting them as a new body politic and making William Coddington their head magistrate. Then, the 23 men who signed the document set sail for Narragansett Bay so that they can officially purchase Aquidneck Island from the Narragansett Sachems, Canonicus and Miantonomi. After arriving in Narragansett Bay they take their ship up a river that the Narragansetts call Pettequamscutt River or what we know today as Narrow River. On the western shore of that river, on a piece of land that is now part of South Kingstown, there’s a large rock located at the top of a steep hill. It’s at this rock where Coddington and the others officially purchase Aquidneck Island from Canonicus and Miantonomi. The rock that aquidneck is sold at is known as Pettaquamscutt rock and one can still hike to it today. With the deed for Aquidneck Island in hand, Coddington and the group then begin making their way to their new home. There’s an immense feeling of excitement amongst the 23 men when their ship passes Conanicut Island and they arrive at the northern tip of Aquidneck. As they step out onto the land and begin exploring their new home they see a cove connected to the Pocasset River to the east, or what we know today as the Sakonnet River. Near the cove, they also find a spring, a key feature of any newly built settlement. The group continues to meander around their new home for a while but it eventually becomes clear that this is where they will build their settlement. Initially, they call their town Pocasset but in just a few months they change the name to Portsmouth. The name honors the port in England most of them traveled from when first coming to America years earlier. Although they do create a somewhat theocratic form of government at first, the town grants their citizens the right of complete religious freedom. And so in the Spring of 1638, on the northern tip of Aquidneck Island, the second town in the future state of Rhode Island has just been created. Roger Williams' radical experiment in religious freedom is slowly beginning to grow.
A couple of weeks after the founding of Portsmouth, Anne Hutchinson arrives at Aquidneck and is reunited with her followers. Unfortunately, the joys from their reunion do not last long as this group of religious outcasts quickly realizes how hard it is to build a society of their own. As the winter of 1638 approaches, the people of Portsmouth become increasingly annoyed by the fact that Coddington’s inner circle of elites have consolidated most of the town’s land and political power. As more religious outcasts begin trickling in from Massachusetts, more people become fed up with the Coddington regime. It’s at this point when we’re introduced to a man who will play a pivotal role in the early development of Rhode Island, a man whose passion for his ideas has already gotten him banned from both Massachusetts and Plymouth, a man by the name of Samuel gorton. Samuel Gorton is certainly a good man but he has a knack for always stirring up conflict. One could say it’s because of his commitment to stand by his friends when they are being mistreated but at the same time one could also say it’s because he doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. Either way, when Gorton arrives in Portsmouth, Coddington watches his already weakened grip on power become even weaker until it slips out of his hands completely. Gorton takes the side of the common people of Portsmouth and his passion ignites a political rebellion. Then, in spring of 1639, just a year after Portsmouth was founded, Gorton manages to have Coddington and his regime removed from power and a new body politic put in place. As one may expect, Coddington is furious and it’s at this point when a multi decade long feud is ignited between Coddington and Gorton. However, Coddington knows that for now he must admit defeat so he decides to take his entourage to the southern tip of Aquidneck. If he can’t be the leader of Portsmouth then he’ll just have to build a town of his own. And that’s exactly what he does. The founding of this town takes place in May of 1639.
William Coddington and 8 other families who left Portsmouth with him spend May 1st traveling south along the western coast of Aquidneck Island. While on their boat, William Coddington sees that there are still members of the Narragansett tribe living on the island. This frustrates Coddington because he assumed that the natives would have left the island when it was sold to Coddington and the others back in 1638. But Coddington is quickly beginning to realize that the English and the natives have a very different understanding of land ownership. While the English see land as a commodity that can be sold from one person to another, the natives see land as something that is to be used and shared by a group of people. Therefore, the Narragansetts on Aquidneck did not think they were selling the island to Coddington back in 1638 but instead granting them access to use the land alongside them, giving them no reason to leave Aquidneck. The misunderstanding taking place between Coddington and the Narragansetts is not unique to these two groups of people but instead symbolizes a much larger set of disagreements taking place between English colonists and tribes throughout New England. But even though Coddington is annoyed by the Narragansetts’ presence on the island, he knows there are more pressing items to deal with first, like creating the town he set out to build. As the group continues to travel towards the southern end of Aquidneck they see the same thing that the Italian explorer, Giovanni da Verrazzano, saw when he visited Narragansett Bay over a hundred years earlier; large patches of land that have been cleared out of the forest by the Narragansett tribe. Coddington smiles as he knows it will be easy to convert these open lands into farms. On top of that, Coddington is already well aware that the island is almost completely void of the wolves that have killed so much of the English livestock throughout New England. Therefore, he’s confident that their livestock will thrive once the cleared lands are turned into farms. But nothing excites Coddington more than when they arrive at the harbor at the southern end of the island. He’s visited the harbor before and has always hoped that the people of Portsmouth would consider relocating their town closer to the harbor. The harbor is not only well protected by the southern tip of Aquidneck but also provides easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, giving it the potential to become a major hub for seaborne trade. Coddington wants to continue exploring the harbor but when one of the other men on the trip, a man by the name of John Clarke, notices a body of water on the island he convinces Coddington that it’s time to begin exploring on foot. Coddington reluctantly agrees so the group anchors their ship and begins hiking towards the body of water. Eventually, they arrive at their destination and confirm that the body of water is indeed a spring. After realizing they’ve just found a fresh source of water for their town, the men and women begin to celebrate their discovery, that is, all of them except for William Coddington. Coddington is too distracted by more grandiose thoughts to care about the spring. While the others are thinking about the town’s short term needs, Coddington is imagining the town’s future economic success. Instead of only seeing cleared lands all around him he pictures rolling farmlands that are filled with livestock. Instead of an empty harbor to his west he sees a thriving port filled with ships from distant lands who have come to trade with their town. All around him he hears hardened ship captains talking in various languages, telling their men to hurry up and unload their wooden crates filled with goods. Coddington can already taste the fine wines and liquors that are being carried off of the ship. He pictures a town full of energy and excitement and at the center of all of this activity is Coddington himself, the man who will become wealthy beyond imagination from the town’s economic success. Coddington’s visions will prove to be accurate but it will take another couple of decades for his dreams to come to fruition. Then, Coddington feels a hand on his shoulder and he’s brought back to reality. The images he just created begin to fade from his mind and he’s reminded that for now their town is but a handful of families and a tiny spring.. The man tells Coddington that they need to come up with a name for their town and hints at the fact that they expect Coddington to be the one to create that name. So after taking a minute to think and while remaining confident that the town will one day become the new hub for seaborne trade in the New World, Coddington decides to name the town Newport. The group loves the idea and is excited to begin building the town of Newport. So although the founding of Newport in May of 1639 means the creation of rhode iskands third town, it also the moment when a seed of economic prosperity is planted in Rhode Island. And that seed will continue to grow for over a century. The founding of Newport in May of 1639, not only marks the founding of Rhode Island’s third town but also plants a seed of economic prosperity that will benefit Rhode Islanders for over a century.
The spring that Newport was founded at no longer exists today. Thankfully, the town of Newport is building a park at the present day intersection of Spring and Touro street to commemorate where the spring once stood and where the town of Newport began. Unfortunately, Anne Hutchinson, the woman who inspired this group of religious outcasts to flee Massachusetts for Aquidneck, will not live long enough to see Newport flourish. In 1642, Anne Hutchinson leaves Portsmouth for New Netherland and builds a home in present day New York City. However, shortly after arriving, Anne and most of her family are murdered during a raid by one of the local tribes. So while the 1640s marks the end of Anne Hutchinson’s story it's just the beginning of William Coddington’s. First, he manages to convince the Narragansetts to fully vacate the island by making a few additional payments to the Sachems. Then, Coddington convinces Portsmouth to coexist with Newport by operating under a joint government. Similar to the town of Providence, their joint government operates democratically and decides to uphold the right of religious liberty for their citizens. Now although Roger Williams’ experiment in religious liberty is certainly growing, its very survival is about to be threatened. In 1640, Samuel Gorton leaves aquidneck for Providence after he’s banned from Portsmouth and Newport for insulting Coddington’s power during an outburst in court. It’s at this point when even more internal challenges arise and the larger, far more resourceful colony of Massachusetts begins asserting its control over the towns around Narragansett Bay, primarily Providence. Massachusetts is in dire need of new land so they use these disputes to justify why they should be able to claim jurisdiction over the towns of Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport. By 1642 Massachusetts expansionists designs prove to be successful and before long it’s beginning to look as though the tiny towns around Narragansett Bay will be swallowed up by Massachusetts, destroying Roger Williams’ experiment in religious freedom and preventing the state of Rhode Island from ever existing. Roger Williams will have to act fast or he’ll watch his experiment in religious freedom come to an abrupt end. But that’s a story for next time, on episode 5 of the story of rhode island podcast.