Roger Williams: Founder of Rhode Island

Stand at the crossroads of faith and freedom with Roger Williams: Founder of Rhode Island, a stirring archival film—complete with a teacher’s guide—that resurrects the fiery clash between a visionary and New England’s Puritan iron grip. This mid-century gem recreates 1630s Massachusetts: Roger Williams, a preacher with a rebel’s heart, rails against church-state entwining, his voice ringing for conscience’s liberty and minority shields—words branded heresy by grim elders. The camera sweeps through his trial—stern judges thunder, parchment crackles, banishment falls like a gavel’s blow from the Bay Colony. Undaunted, Williams treks through snow-swept wilds, forging Rhode Island—a haven where dissenters breathe free, a seed of democracy sown. With vivid re-enactments and resolute narration, it’s a mid-20th-century ode to a founder’s defiance. Archival Moments revives this colonial crucible—subscribe to explore more from the frontiers of history!