SUNY Potsdam Professor Dr. Sheila M. McIntyre Releases ‘Reading Roger Williams: Rogue Puritans, Indigenous Nations & the Founding of America’
SUNY Potsdam Professor of History Dr. Sheila M. McIntyre is the co-author of a newly released book, “Reading Roger Williams: Rogue Puritans, Indigenous Nations and the Founding of America—A Documentary History,” published by Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers.
McIntyre co-authored the title along with Linford D. Fisher, an associate professor of history at Brown University, and Julie A. Fisher, a historian and former consultant to the Roger Williams National Park site in Providence, R.I.
Roger Williams is best known as the founder of Rhode Island who was banished from Massachusetts in 1636 for his dangerous thoughts on religious liberty. But the city and colony Williams helped to found was deep in Native country, situated between the powerful Narragansett and Wampanoag nations. The Williams that emerges from the documents in the “Reading Roger Williams” collection is immersed in a dynamic world of Native politics, engaged in regional and trans-Atlantic debates and conversations about religious freedom and the separation of church and state, and situated at the crossroads of colonial outposts and powerful Native nations.
Williams lived among and relied on the generosity of his Narragansett neighbors, and yet he was a Native enslaver and part of a process that dispossessed regional Indigenous populations. He could establish a colony based on full religious freedom, and yet bitterly complain and campaign against residents with whom he disagreed, such as Samuel Gorton or the Quakers. For the first time, “Reading Roger Williams” offers readers the opportunity to explore the many facets of Williams's life by including selections from all of his writings, starting with his life in London and ending with one of his final letters, written when he was nearly 80 years old. Each document includes an introduction and annotations to help the reader better understand the text and context.
“Reading Roger Williams” is available in hardcover, paperback or in an e-edition from major booksellers.
About the author:
Dr. Sheila McIntyre is a professor of history. Since coming to SUNY Potsdam in 2001, she has taught courses in medical history, historical methodology, early America, Revolutionary America, witchcraft and early American Indigenous history. McIntyre’s courses stand out due to her extraordinary dedication to her craft as a scholar and storyteller of early American history, as she brings in experts as guest speakers and introduces topics she is well versed on. She is the author of numerous articles and two books, “Reading Roger Williams: Rogue Puritans, Indigenous Nations, and the Founding of America” (2024) and “The Correspondence of John Cotton, Jr, 1640-1699” (2009), with another in the works. McIntyre was a founding member of the Potsdam Pathways Steering Committee that implemented changes to the General Education Program, and lent her time and energy to help colleagues develop new WAYS courses. She secured a Gardiner Foundation grant for the campus in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which will pair undergraduate fellows with historians, giving a once-in-a-lifetime public history opportunity for students. McIntyre was awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011, and was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2024. She has since taken on the role of associate director of general education.
SUNY Potsdam’s Department of History offers a variety of courses ranging from the ancient world to the present, and from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas. The department’s faculty is comprised of inquisitive scholars, whose passion for history enlivens their classrooms. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/History.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.
General News Campus Announcements