Celebrating 60 Years

60 Years of Memorializing Roger Williams's New & Dangerous Opinions

Join us as we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of Roger Williams National Memorial.

#RogerWilliams60

The Legislation that Established a National Memorial

An Act.
To provide for the establishment of the Roger Williams National Memorial in the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, . . . for the purpose of establishing thereon a national memorial to Roger Williams in commemoration of his outstanding contributions to the development of the principles of freedom in this country.

October 22, 1965

The National Memorial in Action

Roger Williams was severely punished for speaking his beliefs, including the belief that the King had committed illegal acts in the name of religion, "a solemn public lie," and that American colonies should separate from England. The Massacusetts Bay officials persecuted anyone who challenged their power. Roger Williams's "dangerous" opinions were a threat to that power, setting the stage for over a century of tension that lead to the American Revolution.

In response to his banishment, Roger Williams created a new form of government that protected the rights of anyone to speak their mind and worship according to their conscience. Nobody was banished from the colony for expressing their beliefs. And religious liberty was guranteed by prohibiting the government from enforcing any religious doctrine. Over the next several generations, these ideas evolved and spread across the colonies, eventually becoming a cornerstone of the liberties enshrined by our founding fathers in the US Constitution. Limited powers of government, democratic principles, and freedom of expression are values that contributed to the intellectual and economic prosperity of the nation. And at the core, these values establish the origin of political power as no more than the consent of the people and strict limits on the authority of government officials.

Roger Williams National Memorial was established by an act of Congress in 1965 to honor these contributions to the principles of freedom in America. Park Rangers are highly skilled public educators who accomplish this through a variety of quality programming and public engagement.

Visit us this year as we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the National Memorial, and in 2026 as we honor the 250th Anniversary of American Indpendence.