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Article: Roger Williams and Native Americans.(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Baptist History and Heritage
- Article date:
- March 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Baptist History and Heritage Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Several years ago I read Roger Williams's Christenings Make Not Christians or Brief Discourse Concerning that Name Heathen, Commonly Given to the Indians. (1) I was fascinated by Williams's attitude toward Native Americans, with whom he had established friendships during his early days in America.
In August 1631, Williams, who had arrived in New England just six months before, moved to Plymouth, a small town outside the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Company. During his two years in Plymouth, Williams traded with and preached to Native Americans and studied several of their languages.
Having established "a rapport with and understanding off the ...