Before
Roger Williams set foot in the New World, the Narragansett farmed corn and squash, hunted beaver and deer and harvested clams and oysters throughout what would become
Rhode Island. They also obtained wealth in the form of wampum, a carved shell that was used as currency along the eastern coast. As tensions with the English rose, the Narragansett leaders fought to maintain autonomy. While the elder Sachem Canonicus lived long enough to welcome both
Verrazzano and Williams, his nephew Miantonomo was executed for his attempts to preserve their way of life and circumvent English control. Historian Robert A. Geake explores the captivating story of these native Rhode Islanders as he chronicles a history of the Narragansett from their early European encounters to the tribe’s return to sovereignty in the twentieth century.
Background Information
Roger Williams was driven from the Massachusetts Bay Colony due to his religious views and founded Providence, Rhode Island. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams and other refugees from religious intolerance in Massachusetts. Giovanni da Verrazanno was an Italian explorer of North America best known for discovering New York Harbor in the early 1520's.
