The World of Mary and Roger Williams

Описание: In this virtual program, Dr. Charlotte Carrington-Farmer focused on Mary and Roger Williams, the influential seventeenth-century couple whose lives left an indelible impact on New England.

Roger Williams, an English immigrant to New England, was famously banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 for his “new and dangerous opinions” on religious freedom, the separation of church and state, and Indigenous land rights. Following his banishment, Williams settled the town of Providence with the permission of the Narragansett Sachems, creating a colony that was arguably the freest in the western world.

The traditional narrative centers Roger Williams as a lone “hero" in the founding of Providence, but none of it would have been possible without his wife, Mary Williams. For years at a time, Mary was the head of the Williams family, and she played a central role in colony affairs. Part of the challenge of telling Mary's story in her own words is that she left behind so few of them, especially compared to her husband.

As this program highlighted, Dr. Carrington-Farmer shines new light on Mary and Roger Williams in her recent essay “More than Roger’s Wife” in the New England Quarterly (2024) and her anthology, "Roger Williams and His World" (2025).


You can purchase Dr. Carrington-Farmer's book, "Roger Williams and His World," here: https://broadviewpress.com/product/ro...

You can find Dr. Carrington-Farmer's recent New England Quarterly article on Mary Williams, "More than Roger's Wife," here: https://direct.mit.edu/tneq/article/9...


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CHAPTERS:

0:00 Welcome and Introductions
2:45 Origins of this Research on Mary & Roger Williams
4:26 Goals of the Book Project
6:33 Roger Williams' Historical Legacy
9:52 What We Know About Mary Williams
11:27 Mary & Roger's Childhood and Education in England
25:06 Mary & Roger's Early Years in New England
27:24 Roger's Banishment from Massachusetts Bay
30:07 Mary & Roger Building Providence, Rhode Island
36:16 Roger Williams on Separation of Church and State
37:56 Summary of Roger Williams
39:25 Summary of Mary Williams
41:59 Roger's Interactions with Indigenous People
43:20 Roger's Relationship to Slavery
45:13 Q: What do we do with Roger's complicated legacy?
47:44 Q: Are there any current public history initiatives to remember Mary?
49:08 Q: Do we know anything about Roger or Mary's relationship to Anne Hutchinson?
51:51 Q: How important was the Williams' relationship with Winthrop, Sr. and Jr.?
53:34 Q: Is there any evidence of a relationship between Mary Williams and Susanna White Winslow?
54:23 Q: What about Mary Williams' relation of faith recorded by Thomas Shepard?
54:44 Q: Is there a place to think about psychohistory in considering the Williamses?
55:53 Q: What influence do you think Mary had on Roger's decisions?
57:14 Final Thoughts & Thanks


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