The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy

by Philip S. Gorski

It’s important to stress that killing or converting Indians were not the only possibilities entertained by the Puritans. There was also a third: coexistence. The first to theorize and practice it was Roger Williams (1603–1683). Though a Puritan, Williams quickly fell out with his brethren and was banished from Boston. He then established the Providence Colony in what is now Rhode Island. Williams developed close ties with the native tribes. He sometimes preached the gospel to his native acquaintances. But he did not attempt to change their way of life. For him, being a Christian did not require living like an Englishman. Under Williams’ leadership, the Providence Colony became a haven for dissent and a beacon of toleration—and also an early prototype of what a multiracial and multicultural democracy might look like.