ProJo: Schools should teach about Roger Willliams

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