Love Conquers All The birth of tolerant Newport in the mid-1600s

Ask any Rhode Islander, "Who was the founder of Rhode Island?" The answer will probably be "Roger Williams." This book contends the founding of Rhode Island was actually a collaborative effort. There were at least four other leaders who were just as important as Roger Williams in the half-century from 1636 (the founding of Providence) to 1683 (when Roger Williams died). Four of the five leaders lived in Newport: Benedict Arnold was appointed by King Charles II to be the first Governor of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1663. He was reelected him for seven more terms. (This famous Governor Benedict Arnold is the great-great-grandfather of the infamous traitor of the same name.) William Brenton served two terms as Governor of the State. John Clarke, theologian, doctor, and statesman, negotiated the State Charter of 1663 while living in London for thirteen years. William Coddington attempted to become Governor of Life of Aquidneck Island. He failed, but was later exonerated and became Governor of the State for two terms. Roger Williams was the only one of these five leaders who lived in Providence. He was the President of the Colony for several years, but disliked being a leader, and was never Governor of the State. Mercantile Newport Newport was the center of business and government in the colony of Rhode Island. The natural harbor at the mouth of the bay became one of the top ports on the East Coast, competing with Boston and New York. Providence, at the head up the bay, was always a fraction of the size of Newport. When religious groups flocked to tolerant Rhode Island, they didn't go to Providence. Groups like the Sabbatarians, Jews, and Quakers all settled in Newport. And to give Newport an Old World cachet, many of the street and docks were named after streets and docks in London. Many clues suggest the man responsible for this "London = Newport" name game was William Brenton, who had in his possession a commission from King Charles I to be a Royal Surveyor in the New England colonies. When he died, he owned over 10,000 acres. The first settlers of Aquidneck Island succinctly expressed the guiding principle of their hearts and minds with their official motto: Amor Vincet Omnia Love Conquers All