Roger Williams to John Winthrop, August 1636
| Author | Roger Williams |
|---|---|
| Published | August 1636 |
| Format | Article |
TL;DR — Roger Williams’s 1636 letter asking John Winthrop’s advice on how to govern the new settlement of Providence, with the two covenants he proposed for its householders.
Written from Providence shortly before 25 August 1636 to Deputy Governor John Winthrop of Massachusetts Bay. Williams explains that the settlement has no patent and no magistrates, that the heads of families have governed by fortnightly meetings and mutual consent, and that newly admitted single young men now want the vote too. He drafts two covenants — one for the householders, one for later arrivals promising obedience to orders made by the majority of householders — and asks whether he may insist no one be brought in against his consent. He also passes on intelligence about the Pequot and Nipmuck bands.
These five pages come from a modern annotated edition (the transcription cites the Winthrop Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society), with notes on the dating, Providence’s early government and its policy that “no man should be molested for his conscience.”
What it is: a primary source on the founding of Rhode Island, in a scholarly annotated edition whose notes are in copyright.
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
5 pages. A PDF copy is held in Kyle’s private archive; it is not linked or shared here.