December 21st is the winter solstice but it is also the 413^th birthday of Roger Williams (1603).  Known for founding what would become the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Williams was a man who believed in the separation of church and state, and in the inherent right to religious freedom.

Roger Williams spent most of his life trying to develop strong bonds with the Algonquian-speaking people of southern New England, particularly the Wampanoags and the Narragansetts.  The Narragansetts deeded him the land which became Providence.  Williams studied their language and those of associated tribes and published A Key into the Language of America in 1643.

After founding the new colony of Providence, Williams and his friends established a society where all religions were tolerated, where Quakers, Baptists, Jews and others were welcome to live according to their traditions.  A century later, the idea of a separation of church and state would be incorporated into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Roger Williams also founded the first Baptist church in America.

Visit the Roger Williams National Memorial at 282 North Main Street in Providence and learn more about this fascinating visionary.