Additional Resources
The Roger Williams Initiative also contains further information about Roger Williams, Native Americans, and the environment during his time. The site also has educational resources and lesson plans.
A Lively Experiment: Reflections on the Charter of 1663 is a publication with a collection of scholarly essays about Roger Williams, the Charter of 1663, and how the Charter paved the way for American life.
The Roger Williams Online Gallery has manuscript letters, transcriptions and objects related to Roger Williams in the collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society.
The RISD Museum of Art is home to the painting Alonzo Chappel’s The Landing of Roger Williams in 1636 by artist Alonzo Chappel The painting offers the opportunity to examine how a historical account from the 17th century was used to assemble a narrative that served the politics of 19th-century audiences. Lorén Spears, executive director of the Tomaquag Museum, reflects on this representation and its consequences.
The Lively Experiment Podcast has 4 episodes which feature scholars with expertise on Roger Williams and how his ideas shaped early Rhode Island and America. Specifically, listeners can gain context about the separation of church and state and the importance of the 1663 Charter. The podcast was created by the RI 1663 Colonial Charter Commission and is a part of the State Archives’ collection.
See a talk by National Park Service Ranger John McNiff that he gave to the Rhode Island Historical Society about Roger Williams.
See a talk by National Park Service Ranger John McNiff that he gave to the Rhode Island Historical Society’s Museum of Work and Culture about King Philip’s War.
Suggested Field Trips and Locations of Note
The Charter Museum at the Rhode Island State House. See Roger Williams’, wallet, a replica of his compass, and the original copy of the Royal Charter of 1663 on display. Tours available.
Roger Williams National Memorial, National Park Service. The Visitor Center features an exhibit and a short film, and there are also several exhibit panels throughout the 4.5 acre Memorial grounds.
Smith’s Castle was an early trading post and the first English house in Narragansett Country. It is also where colonial troops met before attacking the Great Swamp Village during King Philip’s War.
A monument to Roger Williams is located on Prospect Terrace Park on Congdon Street in Providence where it is believed Roger Williams was buried and where the Apple Tree Root was unearthed.
The Apple Tree Root is on view at the John Brown House Museum. However, the other exhibits at the Museum focus on John Brown and his time period (pre and post Revolution)
The 19th Century painting, The Landing of Roger Williams in 1636, is on view at the RISD Museum of Art.
King Philip’s Seat, or the Seat of Metacomet, is a “seat” of a large stone outcropping that is said to be where King Philip’s village or meeting place was located. The seat is located in Bristol, Rhode Island on Mount Hope. Trail access to the site is from the parking lot adjacent to the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology’s Research and Collections Center, Brown University. Access to a stone marker near where Metacomet was shot and killed is also located on this property. Visit the main office for a parking pass and trail maps. Please call ahead for weekend access.
The monument at the Great Swamp is located on Narragansett land within the Great Swamp Management area.
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