Roger Williams is the man!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Alex and Eleni playing with my brothers' old Star Wars stuff

Our Cinderella hopeful!

Neil, Alex, and Eleni walked around East Greenwich this morning and I visited Providence in the afternoon.

Heading into Providence!

The Foundry

Providence hills

What kind of tree is this? Help me...

My mother and I visited the Roger Williams National Memorial; I thought this would be a fitting end to this “Search for Freedom,” as Roger Williams is the epitome of someone who made a stand for an individuals’ right to believe in any or no religion. His belief in these “liberties of conscience” and the Natives’ right to sell the land, not the King's, were seen as rebellious and he was banished from the “frontier settlement” of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He left Salem before he was deported to England in February of 1636 and, after 14 weeks of walking, lived among the Wampanoag Indians (whom he knew as trading partners), and then purchased some land from the Narragansett Indians. His Rhode Island became a haven for those who were not fitting into the more conservative Massachusetts Bay Colony to the north. It was the home of the first Jewish Synagogue in the colonies, the first Baptist Church, and the first Quaker Meeting House.

New frontiers exist everywhere. So many towns out west advertised their frontier status and encouraged visitation to their frontier museums. However, let’s not forget that some of the first frontiers for Europeans were here in the east – in space and mind.

The Park Ranger agreed with my sentiments from our Great Swamp visit: many native Rhode Islanders visit this site without having much knowledge of Roger Williams. Somehow the school systems in RI did not incorporate much RI history, but she said this was changing. One of the upswings of “No Child Left Behind” is the curriculum that is being developed to ensure knowledge of local history.

So, I see Rhode Island with new eyes. The smallest state in the Union with the longest name (The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) has always been a place that gets a significant nod in my American history classes, but my adoration has increased considerably. But after this road trip, this feeling holds true for all of American history.

One of the plates in the National Park

Me and Roger

Roger Williams (his remains are under this statue) overlooks Providence and the State Capital here. The Statehouse has the 2nd largest unsupported dome in the world and on the top you can just see the silhouette of the “Independent Man.” Despite not learning about Roger Williams in schools, Rhode Islanders cling to their “Rouge Island” independent ways.

 

Roger Williams overlooking Providence...ummm...the pose?

The State Building

Lots in construction in Providence (good old Buddy Cianci!)

The bug!

We were going to meet up with some of Alex and Eleni’s buddies tonight, but some unfortunate events got in the way. One of our “huddled masses yearning to be free” road trip team members decided to stage her own mini revolution. I’m surprised that the proletariat did not rise up earlier with half of her summer stuck in a 14x6x5 ft. space, but perhaps she was stupefied by gum incentives and Princess songs.

As we explore the word freedom on this trip, it is important to remember some of the different perspectives this word encompasses: the freedoms that are given and freedoms that are taken away. In this way, our car was a microcosm of freedom…

Sigh.