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So it's not truly a theocracy, but you have to be a church member to be a voting citizen of the body politic.

And Williams just doesn't think that that is appropriate.

He doesn't think that the state should be imposing ideas about people's religious lives and the personal lives as well.

And so, but that's why I think Williams is so interesting because he does create something very,

very different in Rhode Island.

Hello and welcome to episode 417 of Ben Franklin's World, the podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

And I'm your host, Liz Covart.

When we think of early American champions of

religious liberty, one name often rises above the rest, Roger Williams. Williams is remembered

as the founder of Rhode Island and a strong advocate for the separation of church and state.

But what kind of man turns down a prestigious ministerial position in Boston only to be banished

and then builds an entirely new colony grounded in radical ideas? Today, we attempt to answer that

question by investigating the life and legacy of Roger Williams, a nonconformist among religious

nonconformists. Williams was a prolific writer, a critic of colonial land grabs,

and an early advocate for religious freedom.

But he was also something else,

a linguist and cultural intermediary

who learned the language of the Narragansett people

and acted as a translator and go-between

during a period of intense colonial expansion.

Now to help guide us on our investigation of Williams' life, we're joined by three co-editors

...