John M. Barry

Reading Roger Williams

History & Biography

“Roger Williams is among the most controversial figures in colonial America. Some historians dismiss him as almost irrelevant; others consider him enormously significant. For example, W. K. Jordan, author of the classic Development of Religious Toleration in England, said Williams provided ‘the most important contribution’ to the development of toleration in the seventeenth century—a century which included Locke. Reading Roger Williams allows readers to make their own decision.”