First published 1944
Roger Williams arrives in Massachusetts Bay Colony with radical ideas about religious liberty that put him at odds with Puritan leaders. He preaches that civil authorities have no right to enforce religious beliefs and that colonists should pay Native Americans fairly for their land. These dangerous opinions make him enemies among the powerful. When the colonial government moves to silence him, Williams faces a choice between abandoning his principles or risking exile into the wilderness. He chooses exile, fleeing through harsh winter conditions to establish a new settlement where people of all faiths can worship freely. Williams builds relationships with Native American tribes and creates Providence Plantation as a haven for religious outcasts. His struggle reveals the courage required to stand against religious persecution and the price of defending freedom of conscience in early America.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: defend-freedom-of-conscience, exile, stand-against-persecution
Setting: Massachusetts Bay Colony, Providence Plantation
Period: Colonial America
266 pages · Paperback · Voyager Books