First published 2012
Roger Williams arrives in Puritan New England with radical ideas about the separation of church and state. He clashes with John Winthrop and other Massachusetts Bay Colony leaders who envision their settlement as a "City upon a Hill" where religious and civil authority merge. Williams argues that governments cannot claim divine mandate and that individuals possess inherent rights that transcend state power. His conflicts with established Puritan hierarchy force him to flee and establish Rhode Island as the first colony built on principles of religious tolerance. The story follows Williams as he navigates relationships with powerful figures like King James, Francis Bacon, and Oliver Cromwell while developing the revolutionary concept that religious freedom and individual liberty are inseparable. Set against the backdrop of the English Civil War and early colonial struggles, the narrative shows how one man's theological convictions challenged centuries of accepted wisdom about the relationship between God, government, and personal conscience. Williams creates a new model of society that will eventually influence the founding principles of American democracy.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, political-science, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island, Puritan New England
Period: English Civil War, Early Colonial
441 pages · Hardcover · Viking