Why we need to revive interest in Roger Williams

Why we ned to learn much more about Roger Williams’s life and works.

I have to apologize for the hyperbole in this essay, and in my heart of hearts, I am sure that Roger Williams deserves much better from us.   With greater knowledge about him, he will become a great source of pride for our state for years to come.  That is my goal.

 Attitudes and knowledge about RW is not going to change.  Whoever is obligated to educate Rhode Islanders are perfectly happy with doing their jobs, and leave the situation the way it is.  We have to realize that every state has a person or persons who inspire the citizens by great actions and ideas.  Illinois would be a different state without Lincoln.  Virginia has Jefferson.  Massachusetts has many. Rhode Island has Roger Williams, and his brilliance, stamina, and accomplishments should make him a nationally known figure.

Here are some reasons why:

        Roger Williams’ life and work is more valuable than all the gold discovered in California and Alaska.  It is more valuable than all paintings and pieces of music.   His work gave the world a gift that is received and appreciated by millions and millions of humans across the world here and now.  In fact, if and when his beliefs became common knowledge, it changed the world.  Theodore Roosevelt wrote that the twenty years of the English Civil War the the Interregnum gave the world the first and most profound start to the movement for freedom in the world.
He was a genius.  He learned Dutch from immigrants who lived near his home.  He had taught himself stenography by his twelfth birthday.  He converted to Puritanism by this age, and that caused problems for him with his parents.  His ability with stenography brought him to the attention of Sir Edward Coke–considered the founder of the concepts of habeas corpus, common law, and hundreds of the ideas that established the very core of English law.  From the age of 12 to 18, John Barry and I believe Roger lived in Coke’s mansion. He did stenography, final copies, and visited London courts to record cases for Coke’s possible some writing with Sir Coke.  Coke referred to him as a son. This gave this brilliant teenager more legal training than any lawyer of the day and more understanding of the ideals expressed by Coke.
Coke sends him to Charterhouse school, and Roger is a star.  He graduates from Pembroke College with honors, friends and connections to the Rich-Barrington-Hildersham group. This is profound, for it is this group that provides the shield for Roger from any physical punishments in Massachsuetts .—this puts him into a group rather than the ‘solo’ person that most biographies insist on.
Roger is ordained into the Church of England. He cannot find work at an Anglican church, because of his Separatist beliefs. Instead, he becomes the domestic chaplain at the home Sir William and Lady Masham.  By this point in his life, Roger has established himself as an excellent minister, a brilliant scholar, and a hard core believer in separatism, separation of church and state, and establishes his personal goal to build a society which is fair, honest, and generous to the poor.  Many writers of the day wrote about these ideas,  but Roger Williams is the only man in the world who created in the real world such a society.

          That is the treasure that we receive every day.  For that, Roger Williams is as important to America as Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and even John Locke.
During the Parliamentary meeting in June of 1629, Sir Coke’s Petition of Right is passed.  Roger attends that meeting, and he carries messages amongst the members and from London to Essex. Lady Masham’s father, Sir Francis Barrington, had died in 1628, and he was remembered as a saint for the Puritan movement. Roger had his blessings! Roger was there when King Charles ended Parliament!
During these years, Roger evolves a brilliant architecture of reality. His spiritual beliefs, his knowledge of the law, his natural openness with all people, and his downright stubbornness makes Roger one of the most brilliant men of his time. It may surprise you, but I put him at the same level as Einstein, Tesla, Edison, and any other brilliant minds. Without his work, there is no modern secular state.
Finally, understanding his definition of what it means to follow God and Christ. He rejected every bit of the Church of England as being apostate. Anything created by Constantine’s Roman Catholic Church marked the end of Christ’s message. He rejected all of the borrowing that Christianity from pagan religions such as Christmas. For most of his adult life, Roger did not belong to a Christian denomination.   Why?  He saw the gift of life from God and Christ as the greatest gift ever.  He writes often that that gift is greater than any treasure that any king or emperor could acquire. He believed that meeting the goals of the scriptures was a person’s ultimate goal, and people were unable to worship in any group. Groups corrupt the relation between the Christian and the Christian life requirements.

        When you put these ideas into a real analysis, you will find echos of some of the deepest thinkers in Christianity. This is a real tragedy. Roger’s thoughts about these deep issues have been hidden from all of us.
His was a belief in Jesus’s message to follow the laws that give people freedom, fairness, equality in the political realm, care for the poor, democracy for property owners, and the faith that we all will be punished or rewarded——BUT, these acts will not occur until the end of time and the return of Christ.  I am not sure where we stay for those years of waiting.  “…But the Son of man, the meek Lamb of God—for the elect’s sake which must be gathered out of the Jew, Gentile, pagan, anti-Christian—commends a permission of them in the world until the time of the end of the world, when the goats and sheep, the tare and wheat, shall be eternally separated from each other…” (RW: Bloudy Tenent  p. 59 Mercer University Press 2001)   Roger believed that whatever happens to any of us will not occur until the end of the world.   This puts him into a unique niche of Christianity.

Marc Kohler

Opinion
Letter: Marc Kohler: Schools should teach about legacy of Roger Williams
Posted May 5, 2018 at 3:00 PM
The Providence Journal

Dear Editor:
  I have found that more people in Rhode Island know the stories about Jedediah Springfield, the founder of the fictional town of “Springfield” of TV’s “The Simpsons,” than the stories about Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island.
Last summer I researched and created a children’s presentation about the importance of the burning of the Gaspee and the life and accomplishments of Williams in the history of not just of Rhode Island but the United States.
Let this be a clarion call. It is time to bring Williams into our discussions, our hopes and our dreams for our state. Why?
Williams, when he was young, was discovered by the leading jurist of England, Edmund Coke, and engaged as a stenographer for the court. Coke sent Williams to the best schools. By the time he sailed to America, he spoke five languages (Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and Dutch). In America, he learned Narragansett, and in 1643, he wrote the first translation of an Indian language by a European, “A Key into the Language of America,” with a brilliant discussion of Indian life and values.
Need more? He founded the Baptist Church in America. He was the architect of the concept of separation of church and state.

One more: In “The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience,” Williams wrote one of the most profound explanations of why Christians cannot harm others due to religious beliefs.
I could write more, but letters have limited space. Readers can see more and comment at: https://rogerwilliamsamericanhero.blogspot.com.
Marc Kohler
East Providence

Reflections about Roger Williams

Lauren Paola of the Rhode Island Foundation asked me to write this for the blog of the RI Foundation Carter Roger Williams Initiative.  I submitted it in October of 2018.  You can see other Reflections on their site: http://www.findingrogerwilliams.com/reflections

               “Roger Williams” has become a name that people recognize, but most Rhode Islanders and Americans have no idea of who he was, what his work did for our governance, and the incredible life that he led.  Part of the of the problem has to do with the “summaries” of his life.

               Every site starts off by saying that he worked as a “Minister”, that he founded the Baptist Church in America, and that he bought the land for Providence from the Narragansetts.  None of these are true.  

               Yes, Williams was ordained as a minister, but he was rarely paid for the job.  When he was a Domestic Chaplin for the home of Sir William and Lady Elizabeth Masham he was compensated but most likely not paid—more like a member of the family rather. Yes, he was paid for some of his work in Salem, nothing for when he was a speaker at the Plymouth church, and a little bit when he had his second stay at Salem.  After he left the bay Colony, he held services in his home, but there was no church to pay him.  He did earn money in two endeavors. One was the owning of two trading posts—one in Providence and the second in Wickford.  He also received payments for his service in the governance of Providence, and stipends when he traveled to England for colony projects.  Founder of the American Baptist Church?  No, not really.  He did join a group of Baptist Particulars who had arrived after being banished from Massachusetts.  He stayed with them for a couple of months, and then withdrew his membership writing that he would be a “Seeker”.  So, yes, Roger Williams was an ordained minister, but he was never a conforming member of any denomination.

               Roger Williams wrote that he went to New England to convert the indigenous people,  but after being here for a while, he concluded that no one could be converted without knowing the language and knowledge of the bible.  He apparently converted no one.  By the time he was twelve years old, he had recruited by Sir Edward Coke to serve as a stenographer for the Star Chamber, and other situations where he met Francis Bacon, King James I, and many of the active members of the government.   Coke “adopted” Williams, and supported him in his education.  While there, Williams learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and Dutch.   So, one of the first thing he learned in the Bay Colony, was what is called Algonquin today, but in Roger’s day, Narragansett.  He was well known by the indigenous people throughout the region.  He did not pay the Narragansett much if anything.  No, his relationship with the tribe was much more as a brother filled with respect and affection.  When Miantonomoh  died, Williams wrote that Miantonmoh “…We had been in each other homes thousands of times…”.  

               The final question is where does Roger Williams fit into the history of Rhode Island and America?  You will surprised, but my answer is that if we planned to add a fifth face to Mt. Rushmore, it should be Roger's face.  Further, we should have a Roger Williams Day not only in Rhode Island but for all the country.  His gifts to our way of life are without limit.

Description of Gaspee/Roger Williams Presentation

Gaspee/Roger Williams Storytelling Presentation

This Summer, we opened The Burning of the Gaspee/Roger Williams Storytelling Presentation.  For those from Rhode Island, you have probably heard about the Gaspee, and this is just for you!!  On June 9th of 1772, Captain Benjamin Lindsay. Captain of the sloop Hannah, sailed out of Newport, and was it was soon followed by the HMS Gaspee, a tax collecting ship commanded by Lieutenant William Duddingston (1740-1817).

What ensued is considered the first act of resistance committed by colonists against the rule of King George III.   The Gaspee was well-hated by the people of Rhode Island.  When Duddingston visited Providence, he had to wear a costume.  The chase ends when the hated Gaspee becomes caught on a sandbar off Namquit Point in Warwick. (Now called Gaspee Point).  After a meeting in Providence, about sixty colonists got on boats, sailed to Namquit Point, removed the crew, and burned the Gaspee to its gunwales.

The Burning of the Gaspee Storytelling Presentation includes the history of the burning of the HMS Gaspee in 1772, and includes an introduction to the life and accomplishments of Roger Williams. Rhode Islanders do not know the details of the Gaspee event that well.  One of the major points of this historic episode was that King George ordered that the perpetrators of the raid be apprehended and shipped to England to be tried in a Royal Court and NOT in the colony where the accused lived–where they would have been tried by a jury of their peers.  This demand was the match that lit the flame that would become the bonfire of Revolution. By the Fall of 1772, Samuel Adams started the Committee of Correspondence which spent months discussing the King’s demands about the Gaspee Raiders, It was that Committee that created the foundation for our Revolution. Reverend John Allen’s pamphlet “An Oration on the Beauties of Liberty” (December 1772), was one of the most revolutionary speeches of the day. He mentions the Gaspee and the trial struggles no less than six times. We use stories, some “boat” puppets, and songs to help the children learn things that will change their attitudes towards our past. They will gain knowledge and pride about the Gaspee Raiders and Roger Williams.   Roger Williams?  Yes, at one point during the debate in the Tavern, one Raider asks why that have to do anything.  I then tell how John Brown explained the legacy of the life and ideas of Roger Williams.  Born in 1603, Williams was picked to do stenography for the British Supreme Court at the age of eight to ten.  After being sent to the best schools, Roger graduates knowing Latin, Hebrew, Greek, French, and Dutch!  He then became a Puritan Separatist minister.  Oliver Cromwell was his cousin.  He immigrated to Massachusetts to convert Indians,  And then, after founding the Providence Plantations, he writes the first dictionary and cultural study of and American Indian tribe.   John Brown finishes with all the great inspirations for Rhode Islanders to be independent,  Then, we all go to burn the Gaspee!

Ms. Lianne Masucci of the Westerly Library and Wilcox Park wrote this recommendation for the presentation: “…Marc’s presentations are fun and engaging as well as informational. He interacts well with the kids and sparks their interest in the history of Rhode Island. Marc’s presentation teaches children facts without being overwhelmingly informational. Overall his show was a great addition to our summer reading program…”

This storytelling session is best for 1-6 grades, runs 50 minutes, and can be done for audiences up to 150. A discussion follows each presentation.

Each presentation includes a publicity packet and poster, and a Teacher’s Aid to be used to prepare audience  before the Presentation. The Captain Marcus Pirate Show toured RI libraries in 2007.  See the full list of Storytelling presentations at marcwkohler.com.

For bookings, contact us at 401-441-2129  or marcwkohler@aol.com.

The Gaspee/Roger Williams Parade

Burning of the Gaspee and Roger Williams-- crucial lessons for kids

Pawtucket Times 6 Oct 2017

• By MARC W. KOHLER Marc W. Kohler lives in East Providence and is a storyteller, puppeteer, face painter, and children’s arts provider with a keen interest in American and world history.

This spring, I started doing research to create a storytelling presentation for school-aged children about the burning of the Gaspee.

During that research, I discovered things that would help Rhode Islanders be very proud of our past, both in understanding the importance of the Gaspee event in provoking our rebellion against Great Britain, and the incredible impact that Roger Williams had on the independence felt by those raiders in 1772, as well as in the building of America. Roger Williams, due to his independence and originality in his writing and actions, should be included with Washington, Adams, and Jefferson as one of the most important people who helped create the America that we know today.

The Gaspee burning was the match that lit the explosion that was the American Revolution in 1775. Why? Rhode Islanders were an independent crew of merchants and seamen in the 1770s. Along with other colonies, we were involved in fighting for lower taxes, a more fair tax system, and the right to be represented in any decisions concerning our taxation. The Stamp Act, which took effect in 1765, and was not ended until 1776, caused rage throughout the colonies.

In Narragansett Bay, the Gaspee, captained by Lieutenant William Duddingston, was harassing every ship it could. Duddingston was so hated that he had to wear a costume when he visited Providence. So, it is believed that John Brown, Benjamin Lindsey, and others had actually toured the bay to find the best place to maroon the Gaspee. Once the plan was put into action, the Gaspee was marooned off Namquit Point. The raiders met at Sabin’s Tavern, decided to take whatever goods were on the Gaspee, and then to set it aflame. As we all know, that is what happened.

That is not the end of the story, though. King George became enraged, and ordered that once the raiders were apprehended, they would be taken to England for trial. This was a clear violation of the Charters of the colonies — defendants would be judged only by a group of their peers. The Gaspee burning and this demand by the king caused Samuel Adams and others to create the Committee of Correspondence, and their first subject was this demand by King George. Rev. John Allen brought the struggle forward in his “Oration on the Beauties of Liberty,” written in December of 1772, which delivered the demand for freedom from England.

That brings me to my second discovery: Roger Williams stands as a giant in the history of America, while he means literally nothing to most Rhode Islanders, except for the name of “his park.” Why is this true? First, he was, in my mind, a genius. By the time he was eight years old, he had learned stenography so well that the highest jurist in England, Edward Coke (pronounced “Cook”) brought him to the court to work. Coke sent Roger to the best schools, and by 15, he had learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French and Dutch. He grew up in Anglia, a neighborhood of London, which was a center for Puritan Separatists. Oliver Cromwell was his cousin. He emigrated to colonial America to convert the native population. In little time, he learned Narragansett (now called Algonquin). He was the first European to write a dictionary and cultural study of a native people in 1643.

He was a master linguist, the founder of the Baptist Church in America. He helped Chaddus Brown, the father of John Brown, to become the second minister for the church.

He wrote “The Bloudy Tenant Against Persecution due to Conscience,” which demanded that there were no reasons to persecute a person because of difference in religious belief. This brilliant work became the core of our Constitutional separation of Church and State, as well as the desire for tolerance. I cannot here write all of his contributions to America’s life, but I do know that, without a doubt, his life story should be known by all of us. He stood up against the Massachusetts theocracy, speaking for the separation of church and state as well as for complete religious freedom.  On October 9, 1635, after being arrested, tried, and convicted, Williams was banished to serve his sentence in England. The authorities allowed the sentence to be delayed, for Williams had become ill.  Finally in January 1636, he escaped to Seekonk, and without the care of an Indian woman known as Margaret, he would have died during the trip.

In time, and in part due to his having learned the language of the Narragansetts, he negotiated with Chief Canonicus(1565?-1647), and  made an agreement that Williams could set up a camp as long as he would make items available to the tribe from his trading post.  Here is another irony: nobody knows that both Roger Williams and Chaddus Brown were both trading post merchants.   At the end of his life, he became destitute, but he still wrote: “It was not price nor money that could have purchased Rhode Island. Rhode Island was purchased by love.”

That is all that can I fit into the limits of this essay, but you can contact me for more. You can visit the fine Rangers at the Roger Williams National Memorial. The Gaspee Days Committee offers a brilliant set of archives about the Burning of the Gaspee (http://gaspee.org/#Contents)

Roger Williams Among the Narragansetts

http://www.davidglensmith.com/wcjc/2327/PDFs/Williams2.pdf

Life and Values of Roger Williams

To the Editor:

What we can learn from the life and values of Roger Williams
May 4, 2018  

To the Editor:

I have found that more people in Rhode Island know the stories about Jebediah Springfield, the founder of the fictional “Springfield” of the Simpson’s Show than the story and life of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island.

Last summer I researched and created a children’s presentation about the importance of the Burning of the Gaspee and the life and accomplishments of Roger Williams in the history of not just of Rhode Island but the United States.

In fact, let this be a clarion call that this has to be changed.  It is time to bring Roger Williams into our discussions, our hopes and our dreams for our state.  Why?

Roger Williams, when he was young, was discovered by the leading jurist of England, Edmund Coke, and he was a engaged as a stenographer for the Court.  Coke sent Roger to the best schools.  By the time he sailed to America, he spoke five languages. (Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and Dutch).  Once in America, he learned Narragansett. In 1643, Williams wrote the first translation of an Indian language by a European with a brilliant discussion of Indian life and values.  The Key to Language is still in print today.  Oliver Cromwell was his cousin, and helped Roger to get the book published, and he helped Rhode Island to get our first Charter, called a Patent.

Need more? With Richard Clarke, he founded the Baptist Church in America.

More? He was the architect of the Separation of Church and State, and for that, he needs to be known by all Americans.  Without his work, we would not have that separation.  

One more:  In The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience, Williams wrote one of most profound explanations of why Christians cannot harm others due to religious beliefs.

I could write more, but Letters to Editors have limited space.  You can see more and comment at: Roger Williams: An American Hero: https://rogerwilliamsamericanhero.blogspot.com

Thank you,

Marc Kohler

Mr. Kohler resides in East Providence.  He works as a face painter, puppeteer, storyteller, and children’s arts workshops.