Roger Williams (theologian)

Roger Williams (December 21, 1603 – April 1, 1683) was an English-American Puritan, and a Calvinist-Baptist theologian. He was widely known as a supporter of religious toleration and separation of church and state. He also supported fair dealings with Native Americans. In 1644, he received a royal charter creating the colony of Rhode Island, named for the main island in Narragansett Bay. He is believed to have started the first or second Baptist church in the United States. He is known to have left the church soon afterwards, saying, "God is too large to be housed under one roof."

Roger Williams
Born	(1603-12-21)December 21, 1603 London, England
Died	April 19, 1683(1683-04-19) (aged 79) Providence, Rhode Island
Occupation	minister, author
Spouse(s)	Mary Barnard

For other people named Roger Williams, see Roger Williams (disambiguation).

Famous descendants

These are some famous descendants of Roger Williams:

• Nelson Rockefeller
• Gail Borden
• Charles Eugene Tefft
• Michelle Phillips
• Julia Ward Howe
• Sarah Palin
• Bill Gore

Roger Williams (theologian) Media

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  Williams attended Pembroke College, Cambridge

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  The Jonathan Corwin House was long purported to be Williams's residence in Salem

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  The Banishment of Roger Williams (c. 1850) by Peter F. Rothermel

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  The Landing of Roger Williams in 1636 (1857) by Alonzo Chappel depicts Williams crossing the Seekonk River

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  In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams

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  First Baptist Church in America which Williams co-founded in 1638

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  A mid-19th century depiction of Williams meeting with Narragansett leaders

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  Return of Roger Williams from England with the First Charter from Parliament for Providence Plantations in July 1644

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  In 1643, Williams published A Key into the Language of America, the first published study of a Native American language.

Further reading

• Brockunier, Samuel. The Irrepressible Democrat, Roger Williams, The Ronald Press Company, New York, 1940.
• Gaustad, Edwin, S., ed., Liberty of Conscience: Roger Williams in America. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1991.
• Miller, Perry, Roger Williams, A Contribution to the American Tradition, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, Indianapolis and New York, 1953.
• Settle, Mary Lee, I, Roger Williams: A Novel, W. W. Norton & Company, Reprint edition (September 2002).
• Winslow, Ola Elizabeth, Master Roger Williams, A Biography. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1957.
• Peattie, Donald Culross, Roger Williams- First Modern American. The Reader's Digest. December 1946.