A Modern Roger Williams: How his Legacy Would
Transfer to the RWU Campus
By Nora Bisaccio ’15
When picturing Roger Williams living in modern society, and more
specifically on the Roger Williams University campus, it becomes difficult to
imagine he would take the form of a sassy critic. It is even harder to imagine that
he would truly be appalled at the abundance of lacrosse pinnies strolling through
campus as “The Hawks’ Herald” portrays (“My Life”). That is not to say that the
school newspaper does not hold value, but rather that Roger Williams’ character
seems almost defamed in the “My Life as a Statue” column. Personally, when I
imagine Roger Williams reincarnated as a student on campus, I picture a hipster
walking down on shell path, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, bohemian vintage
clothing, and sporting an intellectual expression as he admires the beautiful
Mount Hope Bridge. On his walk, his friends from the Multicultural Student Union
and Student Senate would accompany him. Depicting Roger Williams in this
manner seems much more effective at recognizing his tributes to America, while
still embodying the Roger Williams University spirit as “The Hawk’s Herald”
attempted.
Urbandictionary.com defines hipsters as being “a subculture of men and
women typically in their 20’s or 30’s that value independent thinking, counterculture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity,
intelligence, and witty banter.” Additionally, the subculture rejects the culturally
ignorant attitudes of the mainstream consumers while acting as pioneers for the
latest cultural trends and ideals (“Hipster”). The epitome of this demographic
practically screams the name Roger Williams through a megaphone. For starters,
Roger Williams was born in London, England in 1603. At the young age of 27, he
left to migrate to America, where he believed there would be a higher tolerance
for his religious ideas that were much to radical for London (“Roger Williams”).
Already, Roger Williams was filling the role as a pioneer, embodying one aspect
to the hipster archetype, by becoming an early settler of the new land.
However, the similarities do not stop there. Having quickly learned that the
Puritans in Boston, Massachusetts were about as equally opposed to his ideas of
religious tolerance and freedom as the king, he began preaching in Salem, a
place that was more open-minded to his ideals. According to Hubert H. Bancroft:
His spirit differed from that of the Puritans in Massachusetts; it was mild
and tolerating; having ventured himself to reject established opinions, he
endeavored to secure the same liberty to other men, by maintaining that
the exercise of private judgment was a natural and sacred right; that the
civil magistrate had no compulsive jurisdiction in the corners of religion;
that the punishment of any person on account of his opinions was an
encroachment on conscience and an act of persecution.
Roger Williams believed that a person could not be persecuted because of his
thoughts or religious beliefs. The Puritans did not approve of these ideas,
however, and a warrant for his arrest was issued for the repeated “spreading of
diverse, new, and dangerous opinions that questioned the Church” (Goddard).
Fortunately, before he could be arrested and burned at the stake, Roger Williams
left to start a new settlement in the Narragansett Bay area (Bancroft). Williams’
ideas and diligence in pursuing religious toleration, although extreme at the time,
proved his hipster spirit, as he was an independent-thinker and rejected the
cultural norms of religious persecution.
Aside from possessing a hipster demeanor on the current RWU campus,
Roger Williams would be an active member in the Multicultural Student Union.
With a mission to represent multiculturalism, serve as a voice of multicultural
opinions, and reject negative stereotypes while promoting the eradication of
racism, the Multicultural Student Union on the Roger Williams University campus
truly embodies what the real Roger Williams valued (“Multicultural Student
Union”). Williams, unlike many other settlers during the 1600s, thought that
Native Americans should be treated with the same respect as any settler. He
argued that the settlers were guests to their land, and rather than taking the land
out from under them, the settlers should purchase it. In keeping with that
viewpoint, Roger Williams traded for his settlement in the Narragansett Bay area
(Berry). Additionally, he befriended his new neighbors and set up a trading post
at Cocumscussoc, which is now North Kingstown (“Roger Williams”). His
willingness to collaborate with the Native Americans rather than fear them proved
his multicultural integrity.
He continued to spread his multicultural spirit when he returned back to
England. Upon his arrival for his colony’s charter, Roger Williams published The
Key into the Languages of America, which advocated for the Native Americans
and discussed how to communicate and trade with them (LaFantasie). Having
been rescued in the middle of winter by the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes
when he first left the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he felt compassion for them.
Williams took that consideration and acted as the authority in conversing with the
Native Americans, being one of the most fluent settlers in the Algonquin
language (Berry). At a time when England was trying to eradicate, relocate, or
religiously convert the Native American groups, Williams fought for their right to
make property claims (Bancroft). Therefore, Roger Williams acted on the same
principles of today’s Multicultural Student Union, providing the voice for the
Native American tribes, countering the negative Native American stereotypes of
being savages, and representing a peaceful coexistence between the two
communities.
Although the modern, hipster, MSU activist version of Roger Williams is
pictured as a busy student already, his involvement on campus does not stop
there. For if Roger Williams were truly reincarnated as a Roger Williams
University student, he would also be active in Student Senate. Although getting
enough signatures for the petition to run for Senate would be difficult, since
Williams did not keep many followers, his drive to participate in this type of
organization would overrule the potential problems. For example, the Senate
goals include: advocating student rights, responsibilities, and opinions; assisting
in the creation of an inclusive community that encourages intellectual, social, and
personal development; and maintaining a collaborative leadership (“Student
Senate”). Williams carried similar goals.
Not only did Roger Williams advocate abolishment of the persecution for
personal thoughts and religious beliefs, but he also believed in the separation of
church and state, a concept that would allow all citizens to participate in
government, no matter what their religious preference (Berry). Together, these
two ideas embodied all parts to the RWU Student Senate’s mission. When Roger
Williams founded the Rhode Island Colony, he governed on freedom of
conscience, meaning liberty from discrimination for personal thoughts and
opinions. The colony was also home to the first Jewish synagogue, Touro
Synagogue in Newport, and a sanctuary for the Quakers that had been
persecuted in colonies such as the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the New
Hampshire Colony (Goddard). Diametrically, “Rhode Island was an open door to
all people…a safe harbor with a bright beacon shining forth the light of liberty, a
bright beacon that was Roger Williams” (Goddard). By providing this safe haven
for the outcasts of the other colonies, Rhode Island quickly became very diverse
in religious beliefs and opinions and yet worked cooperatively on the value that
individuals should not persecute others for their beliefs, unlike other
discriminatory colonies (LaFantasie). The cooperation he led would be greatly
admired in the modern RWU Student Senate Executive Board.
The current members of Student Senate would also value Roger Williams’
diplomatic reasoning behind his views on religious liberty. For example, Roger
Williams believed that “preventing error in religion was impossible, because it
required people to interpret God’s law and people would inevitably err”
(LaFantasie). He alleged that because humans were imperfect beings, which
could even be religiously proven by the story of Adam and Eve, they could not be
fully accurate in interpreting God’s word and the meanings behind the stories of
the Bible. Therefore, humans should not judge or persecute others for their
interpretations, which may differ from that of the popular Puritan beliefs in
America (“Roger Williams”). Williams’ justification behind his views on freedom of
conscience was both unbiased and appreciative of others’ rights and opinions.
Similarly, Williams believed that the separation of church and state would
be necessary to run a successful colony and country. He argued that the state
was already corrupt enough, with leaders being hand-chosen by the king and his
partisans, a governing body with an uninviting spirit (Bancroft). Therefore, by
combining the state with one set of religious ideologies and influential church
leaders who would promote a religious prejudice, the new land would ruin.
Again, that thought process is something that would be valued as a Senate
member on the RWU campus, especially as a student organization that promotes
inclusion and personal development for all.
Although true that Roger Williams will never be able to actually set foot on
the Roger Williams University campus, aside from his statue, it has become easy
to imagine him as the hipster student quite obsessed with his Multicultural
Student Union and Student Senate involvement. Yet even though Roger Williams
will never experience the seemingly endless line in between classes at
Starbucks, the cheery, singsong voice of Alice at commons, or even the
overwhelming thrill that comes from the yearly lobster and steak dinner, his even
more influential ideas will. His views on religious freedom and toleration as well
as freedom of conscience can be seen in the Bill of Rights. His thoughts on being
neighborly to the Native Americans, although now more of a historical regret, can
now be accomplished. His beliefs about the need for separation of church and
state can now be emphasized during the Gay Rights Movement. However, most
importantly, his legacy for inclusiveness and freedom, which had been restricted
in England previously and criticized during the colonization of America, can be
carried on as the nation continues its plight for democracy and liberty. In this
manner, it is no wonder that Roger Williams has a university in his honor and
statue on campus. Nevertheless, instead of viewing him as a fashion critic,
making comments on the latest trends on the quad, I hope students see him as
the involved, hipster student that he would truly be if he were able to attend RWU
today.
Works Cited
Bancroft, Hubert H. The Great Republic by the Master Historians: Volume I. N.p.,
2003. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Great_Republic_By_th
e_Master_Historians_Vol_I/rogerwill_cg.html>.
Berry, John M. "God, Government and Roger Williams' Big Idea."
Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/God-Governmentand-Roger-Williams-Big-Idea.html>.
Goddard, Ian Williams. "Roger Williams: Champion of Liberty." Goddard's
Journal. Roger Williams Family Association, 1997. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.iangoddard.com/roger.htm>.
"Hipster." Urban Dictionary. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Urban Dictionary. Web. 18 Apr.
2013. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster>.
LaFantasie, Glenn W. "Roger Williams." History.com. A&E Networks Digital,
1991. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/roger-williams>.
"Multicultural Student Union." Roger Williams University. Roger Williams
University, 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. <http://rwu.edu/campus-life/getinvolved/clubs-orgs/multicultural-student-union>.
"My Life as a Statue." The Hawks' Herald [Bristol] Apr. 2013: n. pag. Print.
"Roger Williams...A Brief Biography." Roger Williams Family Association. Roger
Williams Family Association, 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.rogerwilliams.org/biography.htm>.
"Student Senate." Roger Williams University. Roger Williams University, 2013.
Web. 18 Apr. 2013. <http://rwu.edu/campus-life/get-involved/clubsorgs/multicultural-student-union>.