What was the first permanent settlement in Rhode Island?
In 1636 Roger Williams established the first permanent settlement in the new colony of Rhode Island. He named the settlement Providence Plantations, "for God's merciful Providence unto me in my distress."
Why was the Rhode Island colony founded?
The Rhode Island Colony was founded by those who wanted to escape the lack of religious tolerance found in the other New England colonies. Its founder Roger Williams was a former colonist and religious exile from the Massachusetts Colony, where religious tolerance did not exist among the Puritans.
What was the first Quaker settlement in Rhode Island?
To Newport came the “Woodhouse,” the first Quaker ship, which landed eleven Quakers on the island. Thither also fled Obadiah Holmes from Massachusetts, after banishment, and from Plymouth, where he had established at Seekonk the first Baptist church in the Cape Cod colony.
When did the colony of Rhode Island end?
It was an English colony from 1636 until 1707, and then a colony of Great Britain until the American Revolution in 1776, when it became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (commonly known simply as Rhode Island).
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What was the reason for the settlement of Rhode Island?
Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island based upon principles of complete religious toleration, separation of church and state, and political democracy (values that the U.S. would later be founded upon). It became a refuge for people persecuted for their religious beliefs.
What happened to the settlement on Rhode Island?
An army from the United Colonies invaded Rhode Island in December 1675 and attacked the Narragansett in the Great Swamp Fight. In retaliation, the Narragansett destroyed all white settlements in Rhode Island on the western side of the bay, including Providence, which they burned in March 1676.
When was Rhode Island settled?
July 4, 1776Rhode Island / Date settled
Who are the significant people involved with Rhode Island settlement?
The group included William Coddington, John Clarke, and Anne and William Hutchinson, among others. That settlement, however, quickly split into two separate settlements.
What problems did the Rhode Island colony face?
These disputes were primarily were struggles over religious practices and governing, in addition to boundary issues with Connecticut. Part of the problem was they had no charter: The only "legitimate authority" in Rhode Island from 1636–1644 was the voluntary compacts which everybody but Gorton's group had agreed to.
What historical events happened in Rhode Island?
Providence Walks: Downtown Historic Timeline1636. Providence founded by Roger Williams.1764. Brown University is founded.1776. Rhode Island is the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain.1790. Population is 6,380.1815. Great Gale hits Providence, caused severe damage and flooding.1829. ... 1835. ... 1847.More items...
Who were the first settlers of Rhode Island?
Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams and other European settlers who were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Williams negotiated with the Native Americans living there for land and named the place Providence Plantations.
Who settled Providence Rhode Island?
preacher Roger WilliamsProvidence was founded in 1636 by renegade preacher Roger Williams, who was forced to flee Massachusetts because of religious persecution. Williams purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and started a new settlement with a policy of religious and political freedom.
What type of colony was the Rhode Island colony?
The Rhode Island Colony was classified as one of the New England Colonies. The Province of Rhode Island was an English colony in North America that existed from 1636 until 1776, when it joined the other 12 of the 13 colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Rhode Island.
What is Rhode Island known for?
Rhode Island is known for making silverware and fine jewelry. The world's largest bug is on the roof of New England Pest Control in Providence. It's a big blue termite, 58 feet long and 928 times actual termite size.
Who settled in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams and other European settlers who were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Williams negotiated with the Native Americans living there for land and named the place Providence Plantations.
What type of colony was the Rhode Island Colony?
The Rhode Island Colony was classified as one of the New England Colonies. The Province of Rhode Island was an English colony in North America that existed from 1636 until 1776, when it joined the other 12 of the 13 colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Rhode Island.
What was the government of Rhode Island Colony?
Colonial Rhode Island had a system of government in which they elected their governors under self-governing rule. The 13 Colonies asked the Continental Congress to direct the war and Congress, unexpectedly, became the governing body of North America.
Who settled in Rhode Island?
In 1638, Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, John Clarke, Philip Sherman, and other religious dissidents settled on Rhode Island after conferring with Williams, forming the settlement of Portsmouth which was governed by the Portsmouth Compact. The southern part of the island became the separate settlement of Newport after disagreements among the founders.
When did Rhode Island become a colony?
Rhode Island was the first colony in America to declare independence on May 4, 1776, a full two months before the United States Declaration of Independence. Rhode Islanders had attacked the British warship HMS Gaspee in 1772 as one of the first acts of war leading to the American Revolution.
What was the name of the battle that was fought in 1778?
The Battle of Rhode Island was fought during the summer of 1778 and was an unsuccessful attempt to expel the British from Narragansett Bay, although few Colonial casualties occurred. The Marquis de Lafayette called the action the "best fought" of the war.
What is the oldest building in Rhode Island?
Aspect of history. The White Horse Tavern in Newport is one of the oldest extant buildings in Rhode Island. The history of Rhode Island is an overview of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the state of Rhode Island from pre-colonial times to the present.
What tribes were in Rhode Island?
Native Americans occupied most of the area comprising Rhode Island, including the Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Niantic tribes. Many were killed by diseases, possibly contracted through contact with European explorers, and through warfare with other tribes.
How many people died in the Civil War in Rhode Island?
During the American Civil War, Rhode Island furnished 25,236 fighting men to the Union armies, of which 1,685 died. These comprised 12 infantry regiments, three cavalry regiments, and an assortment of artillery and miscellaneous outfits. Rhode Island used its industrial capacity to supply the Union Army with the materials needed to win the war, along with the other northern states. Rhode Island's continued growth and modernization led to the creation of an urban mass transit system and improved health and sanitation programs. In 1866, Rhode Island abolished racial segregation throughout the state. Governor William Sprague IV fought at the First Battle of Bull Run while a sitting governor, and Rhode Island general Ambrose Burnside emerged as one of the major heroes of the war.
Why was the colony of New England called the sewer of New England?
Critics at the time sometimes referred to it as "Rogue's Island", and Cotton Mather called it "the sewer of New England" because of the Colony's willingness to accept people who had been banished from Massachusetts Bay.
What colony was Rhode Island?
The Rhode Island Colony was one of four in the New England Colonies, which also included the New Hampshire Colonies, the Connecticut Colony, and the Massachusetts Colony. The Rhode Island Colony was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, and was an English colony until 1776 when it joined the other colonies in a rebellion against Great Britain ...
What are some interesting facts about the Rhode Island colony?
The Rhode Island Colony was one of the 13 original colonies in America, which were divided into three regions including the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. The Rhode Island Colony was one of four in the New England Colonies, which also included the New Hampshire Colonies, ...
How many distilleries were there in the Rhode Island colony?
Rum manufacturing was so popular in the Rhode Island Colony that by 1761 it was home to three sugar refineries and 22 distilleries. Rhode Island Colony had long cold winters and mild summers. Like the other New England Colonies, the cold winters made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the warm Southern Colonies where ...
Why did the Rhode Island colony take so long to sign the Constitution?
It took so long to sign because leaders in the colony were concerned about the government being too powerful. It signed only once the agreement was made to add a Bill of Rights.
Why was Rhode Island named Rhode Island?
Rhode Island was give its name by Adriaen Block, a Dutch explorer who named it 'Roodt Eylandt' because of the red clay lining the island's shore. The Rhode Island Colony was founded by those who wanted to escape the lack of religious tolerance found in the other New England colonies.
How many miles of coastline is Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's landscape was flat with rolling hills and lots of coastline, about 400 miles of coastline in total. Rhode Island is approximately 48 miles in length and 37 miles wide. It is the smallest U.S. state today.
When did the Rhode Island colony stop the import of slaves?
The Rhode Island Colony prohibited the import of slaves in 1652, but it was not enforced until 1774. It had been a major port for the slave trade and actively involved in the 'triangle trade' which involved trading slaves for molasses and rum.
Who established the first permanent settlement in the new colony of Rhode Island?
In 1636 Roger Williams established the first permanent settlement in the new colony of Rhode Island. He named the settlement Providence Plantations, "for God's merciful Providence unto me in my distress.". Williams was held in high regard by the American Indian community, and he, in turn, respected them.
Why did the Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies keep threatening the settlement of Rhode Island?
Rhode Island continued to be a safe haven for religious refugees, which was one reason why the Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies constantly threatened the settlement. No one was refused admittance because of his or her religious beliefs. Antinomians, a religious sect similar to the Quakers, arrived in 1638; Quakers came to the settlement in 1657 and would soon gain much power; Jews arrived in Newport in 1658; and French Huguenots (Calvinists) arrived in the last two decades of the 17th century.
What was Rhode Island named after?
Verrazano had actually been describing Block Island, which was later named after the Dutch navigator Adrian Block , who explored the area in 1614.
Where did Roger Williams buy land?
Roger Williams welcomed the group and even led negotiations with Narragansett sachem Miantonomi on their behalf for a piece of land at the northern end of Aquidneck Island. It was acquired from the Narragansett for "forty fathoms of white peage [wampum], ten coats and twenty hoes for the resident Indians, and five fathoms of wampum to the local sachem." There the group founded the town of Pocasset, later renamed Portsmouth.
What tribes lived in Rhode Island?
Long before European explorers arrived, four Algonquian-speaking groups of American Indians inhabited the area now known as Rhode Island. The Narragansett Indians, the largest and most powerful group, occupied most of the region. In an area east of the Narragansett Bay lived the Wampanoag, who also resided in Massachusetts. The Niantic inhabited southwestern Rhode Island and coastal areas of Connecticut. The Nipmuc lived in northern Rhode Island and neighboring areas of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
What happened to Rhode Island during the King Philip's War?
Despite the damage and losses incurred during King Philip's War, Rhode Island rebuilt and by the early 1700s, Rhode Island farmers were producing surplus crops and livestock.
What was the trade between Rhode Island and the West Indies?
Much of the agricultural produce, lumber, and fish was shipped to the West Indies and exchanged for molasses. This brought Rhode Island into the "triangular trade" among the New England colonies, Africa, and the West Indies.
When did the Hebrews settle in Rhode Island?
Hebrews, who were tolerated in few Christian countries in the seventeenth century, began to settle in Rhode Island so early as 1655, coming some from New Amsterdam and from Curacoa, both Dutch, and others directly from Holland. Rhode Island’s toleration was broad enough to embrace Hebrews as well as Christians of all denominations, and the Rhode Island Hebrews of the seventeenth century became the nucleus for an influential community. The liberality of Roger Williams appears in his proposition while in England in 1654, “whether it be not the duty of the magistrate to permit the Jews, whose conversion we look for, to live freely and peaceably amongst us,” and his plea: “Oh, that it would please the Father of Spirits to affect the heart of the Parliament with such a merciful sense of the soul-bars and yokes which our fathers have placed upon the neck of this nation, and at last to proclaim a true and absolute soul-freedom to all the people of the land impartially, so that no person shall be forced to pray nor pay otherwise than as his soul believeth and consented.” As for England there was hope in the famous Declaration of Breda made by Charles Stuart, who was to be Charles II, in anticipation of his return to the throne of his father.
What were the names of the towns in Rhode Island?
Barrington, 1660, Bristol, 1680, and Little Compton, 1674 , held by Massachusetts until 1742 in spite of the clear purport of the definition of boundaries in the King Charles Charter, were settled by Pilgrims from the Plymouth Colony. The names of early inhabitants of these towns include the family names of many who afterward were prominent in the history of Rhode Island. The peninsula at Bristol was sold by the Plymouth Colony to John Walley, Nathaniel Byfield, Nathaniel Oliver and Samuel Burton for £1100, the price indicating the value placed upon this location by the Pilgrims, who planned to make Bristol the seaport of Plymouth Colony. Benjamin Church, the same Captain Benjamin Church who won renown as a resourceful commander in wars with the Indians, was invited by John Almy to visit Little Compton in 1674, and purchased land there with the purpose of settlement. Almost immediately thereafter came the beginning of King Philip’s War and work elsewhere for the Captain, which suggested postponement of the homebuilding project. Other early settlers at Little Compton included Elizabeth Alden Peabody, much better known as Betty Alden, and her husband, whom Roswell B. Burchard, who married a descendant of Captain Church and was later Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, styled a man honored principally because of his wife. Elizabeth Alden Peabody was born Elizabeth Alden, child of John Alden and Priscilla Mullin, whose romantic love story Longfellow immortalized in the Courtship of Myles Standish.
Why did Roger Williams and William Arnold oppose the petition?
Both Roger Williams and William Arnold opposed the petition, because of the contempt for government which Gorton had expressed at Plymouth and at Portsmouth. Roger Williams was not willing to expand his insistence upon liberty of conscience and full liberty in religious concernments to the anarchy and chaos involved in the denial of civil government. His position on this issue was expressed clearly and masterfully in a letter written some years later:
What was the name of the island that Anne Hutchinson settled on?
The settlement at Pocasset grew rapidly as other disciples of Anne Hutchinson than those banished or disciplined withdrew from Massachusetts and followed her to Rhode Island. There were probably not less than 100 families at Pocasset in the first year of the settlement. Careful exploration of the island was made, disclosing the landlocked harbor at Newport, with possibilities for commercial development quickly recognized by the alert settlers, some of whom, including Coddington, were merchants, to whom farm life was irksome. On April 28, 1639, an agreement signed at Pocasset by William Coddington, John Clarke, Nicholas Easton, Jeremy Clarke, John Coggeshall, Thomas Hazard, William Brenton, Henry Bull and William Dyer witnessed their agreement to withdraw and found a settlement elsewhere on the island. Newport was chosen as the site for the new settlement. March 12, 1640, the two island settlements reunited, and the name Portsmouth was assigned to the plantation (Pocasset) at the north end of the island.
What river did Roger Williams paddle?
In June, 1636, Roger Williams, with one, or perhaps several, companions paddled a canoe down the Seekonk River, around India Point and Fox Point into the Providence River, and thence into the Moshassuck River, and on the easterly bank of the last, near and convenient to a spring of fresh water that still flows and has since then borne the name of Roger Williams, began a settlement to which he gave the name Providence in recognition of and thankfulness for the Providence of God, which had guided him Ihis was the actual beginning of Providence Plantations and of Rhode Island; it had antecedents that require retrospect into the causes that had induced Roger Williams to venture thus into the Indian country, as well as consequences that made history.
Why did the French Huguenots fail to settle in East Greenwich?
What promised to be a flourishing French Huguenot settlement at Frenchtown in East Greenwich failed because title to land was found to be defective , and settlers were dispossessed. In October, 1686, a number of French Huguenots purchased in London from the Atherton Company a tract of land in the Narragansett country, described as all of what is now the part of Rhode Island west of Narragansett Bay and south of the old town of Warwick. Forty-eight Huguenot families, then refugees in London, were to receive under the contract of purchase 100 acres of upland each, and a share of meadow land. They came originally from La Rochelle, Saint-Onge, Poitou, Guyenne, and Normandy. Prominent members of the group were Ezechiel Carre, their pastor; Pierre Ayrault, a physician, and Pierre Berthon de Marigu of Poitou. Arrived at Frenchtown, the settlers began building shelters against the coming winter. They worked rapidly, and before the cold weather set in had put up about twenty houses, and a few cellars or dugouts were completed. The dugouts, prepared by those who intended to put up durable houses in the following summer, were square pits, about seven feet deep, floored and walled with wood, and roofed with logs and layers of turf. There was nothing pretentious about these little temporary homes, but they were comfortable and kept out the cold. While waiting for the spring farming season to open, the Huguenots busied themselves with clearing their acres of stones, cutting out trees and brush and otherwise preparing the fields for cultivation and planting. Fifty acres of land were set off for the maintenance of a school, and 150 acres were donated to pastor Carre for his support, and plans were made to build a church as soon as weather conditions would permit.
What did Columbus do to help Spain?
For the failure of Christopher Columbus to find China or India, Spain quickly found ample compensation in the wealth of tropical and semi-tropical lands scarcely realized by primitive native races and awaiting exploitation by Europeans. Colonization of the new lands followed discovery so closely as almost to be simultaneous; thus, Columbus founded a colony at Navidad, Hayti, on his first voyage. On his second voyage he commanded a fleet of seventeen vessels, carrying 1500 persons, and founded two colonies. Romantic tales of conquistadors like Hernando Cortez and Francisco Pizarro yield in human interest to the story of the building of a New Spain in America, the rise of commercial cities, the spreading of European culture in a more luxuriant setting in the new world than on the bleak plains and rugged hills of Spain, the establishment of missions and churches, schools and universities, and the setting up of printing presses, books, pamphlets and maps from which are counted among the most precious possessions of Brown University in the John Carter Brown Library of Americana. Within the present United States, St. Augustine in Florida, 1565, and Santa Fe in New Mexico, 1605, were founded by Spaniards. The second half of the sixteenth century witnessed three failures by the French Admiral de Caligny to establish Huguenot colonies in America, and likewise the failure of Raleigh’s colony at Roanoke Island. The French were successful at Port Royal, 1604, as were the English at Jamestown, 1607, and at Plymouth, 1620, and the Dutch at New Amsterdam, 1626. With the Puritan settlement at Massachusetts Bay in 1630 a great migration from England westward was in full swing. Dr. James Truslow Adams, in “The Founding of New England,” estimated the total of English emigration in ten years preceding 1640 as having exceeded 65,000, of whom perhaps 18,000 were in New England as follows: Massachusetts, 14,000; Connecticut, 2000; Maine and New Hampshire, 1500; Rhode Island, 300. The fishery at Newfoundland, active since 1500, attracted 10,000 fishermen six months of the year. The presence of fishermen along the coast of New England explains the “wrought copper” ornaments worn by the Indians and described by Verrazzano, the bronze-tipped arrows found by the Pilgrims among those in use by Wampanoags in 1620, the “welcome” in English extended to the Pilgrims by Samoset as he marched down the village street at Plymouth in the spring of 1621, and the fluency in English of Squanto, the Indian interpreter and guide of the Pilgrims. That there were economic causes for the great English migration paramount to the religious causes alleged as the reason for some part of the movement is disclosed by careful study. The failure of Massachusetts to permit liberty of conscience, in a colony alleged to have been founded to secure liberty of conscience, is somewhat less inexplicable if the migration of the Puritans is studied from the point of view of economics. In this field there is no more informing work than the “Founding of New England.”
When was the Rhode Island charter issued?
With a new regime in power, Rhode Islanders were eager to have their independence reaffirmed and petitioned the king for a royal charter. Issued in 1663 through Clarke, the colony’s agent in England, the charter incorporated the mainland and island of Rhode Island as Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
When was Aquidneck renamed Rhode Island?
The next year the two island communities united in a federation and chose Coddington as governor. Aquidneck was renamed Rhode Island in 1644. ; This colony was known as the Rhode Island Colony.
Why did the Hutchinson and Coddington settle in Portsmouth?
Because of religious differences with Roger Williams, Anne and William Hutchinson and William Coddington founded Portsmouth in 1638 as a haven for Antinomians (whose beliefs resembled those of Quakerism instead of Williams’ Baptist beliefs). A short-lived dispute between the Hutchinsons and Coddington sent Coddington to the southern tip of Aquidneck Island, where he established Newport in 1639. The fourth original town, Warwick, was settled in 1642 by Samuel Gorton, another dissident from Portsmouth. During this initial decade after Williams founded Providence, two other towns were established: Wickford (1637), by Richard Smith, and Pawtuxet (1638), by William Harris and the Arnold family, who had heated differences with Williams.
What was Providence Plantations?
Under the terms of the charter, Providence plus the Aduidneck Island settlements of Newport, and Portsmouth were incorporated as Providence Plantations. (In 1651Coddington obtained a charter establishing a separate colony for Aquidneck Island under which Coddington was to serve as governor of Aquidneck for life.
What colony was the first to assert territorial jurisdiction over the land around Narraganset Bay?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Plymouth Colony started to assert geographical jurisdiction over the land around Narraganset Bay. In about 1641, both the Bay Colony and the Plymouth Colony became more concerned about “wickedness” and “offenses against churches.” Persons who were not outspoken enough to be banished, like Williams had been, were still fearful of being punished for unorthodox behavior. In particular, the Bay Colony was unfavorably impressed with the “Islanders” in the colonies set up by Williams, Hutchinson at Portsmouth, Coddington at Newport, and Groton at Warwick, and debated whether to annex Rhode Island by force, or persuade Plymouth to do it. Read what the Bay Governor had to say about these Islanders in 1642
Why did Reverend Newman grant permission to establish a colony in a location somewhat north of Williams’?
The reason why suddenly the Plymouth Colony was amenable to granting land on Narragansett Bay partly was the seemingly mild religious dissent of Newman, and also partly the fact that William Bradford that year gave up his ownership rights to the area of land.
How many people were disarmed in Boston?
The result was a decree for the banishment of these three persons, and the disarming of sixty citizens of Boston. They were forbidden, upon the penalty of a fine, to buy or borrow any other arms or ammunition, until permitted by the General Court or legislature.
Who was the first English colonist to settle in Rhode Island?
European settlement began around 1622 with a trading post at Sowams, now the town of Warren, Rhode Island . Roger Williams was a Puritan theologian and linguist who founded Providence ...
When did Rhode Island become a colony?
It was an English colony from 1636 until 1707, and then a colony of Great Britain until the American Revolution in 1776, when it became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Why was Providence Plantation named Providence?
He named the settlement Providence Plantation, believing that God had brought them there. (The term " plantation " was used in the 17th century to mean an agricultural colony.) Williams named the islands in the Narragansett Bay after Christian virtues: Patience, Prudence, and Hope Islands.
Where was Rhode Island in 1741?
Overlapping charters had awarded an area extending three miles inland to both Plymouth and Rhode Island east of Narragansett Bay; this area was awarded to Rhode Island in 1741, establishing Rhode Island's jurisdiction over Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton, and Little Compton which Massachusetts had claimed.
What colony did the Quakers settle in?
He granted the request with the Royal Charter of 1663, uniting the four settlements together into the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. In the following years, many persecuted groups settled in the colony, notably Quakers and Jews.
What was the name of the colony on the east coast of the United States?
United States. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1707, and then a colony of Great Britain until the American Revolution in 1776, ...
How many places of worship were there in the colonies?
In 1650, of the 109 places of worship with regular services in the eight British American colonies (including those without resident clergy ), only 4 were located in Rhode Island (2 Baptist and 2 Congregational ), while there was a small Jewish enclave in Newport by 1658.
Early Settlements / Plantations
Founding of Rhode Island
- In 1635, Williams was banished to England by the Massachusetts Bay Colonyfor his beliefs in the separation of church and state and freedom of religion. Instead, he fled and lived with the Narragansett Indians in what would become Providence Plantation (meaning "settlement"). Providence, which he formed in 1636, attracted other separatists who wished to flee from coloni…
A Charter
- Political and religious squabbling was a common feature of these small plantations. Providence evicted people for speaking out in meetings; Portsmouth had to hire two police officials in late 1638 to keep the peace; a small group of people from Shawomet were arrested and brought forcibly to Boston, where they were tried and convicted on various charges. William Arnold fell in…
Uniting The Colony
- The first charter was validated by British Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in 1644 and that became the basis of government in Rhode Island colony in 1647. In 1651, Coddington obtained a separate charter, but protests led to the reinstatement of the original charter. In 1658, Cromwell died and the charter had to be renegotiated, and it was on July 8, 1663, that the Baptist minister John Clar…
The American Revolution
- Rhode Island was a prosperous colony by the time of the American Revolutionwith its fertile soil and ample harbors. However, its harbors also meant that after the French and Indian War, Rhode Island was severely impacted by British import and export regulations and taxes. The colony was a frontrunner in the movement toward independence. It severed ties before the Declaration of In…
Sources and Further Reading
- Bozeman, Theodore Dwight. "Religious Liberty and the Problem of Order in Early Rhode Island." The New England Quarterly 45.1 (1972): 44-64. Print.
- Frost, J. William. "Quaker Versus Baptist: A Religious and Political Squabble in Rhode Island Three Hundred Years Ago." Quaker History63.1 (1974): 39-52. Print.
- Gorton, Adelos. "The Life and Times of Samuel Gorton." Philadelphia, Higgenson Book Comp…
- Bozeman, Theodore Dwight. "Religious Liberty and the Problem of Order in Early Rhode Island." The New England Quarterly 45.1 (1972): 44-64. Print.
- Frost, J. William. "Quaker Versus Baptist: A Religious and Political Squabble in Rhode Island Three Hundred Years Ago." Quaker History63.1 (1974): 39-52. Print.
- Gorton, Adelos. "The Life and Times of Samuel Gorton." Philadelphia, Higgenson Book Company, 1907.
- McLoughlin, William. "Rhode Island: A History." States and the Nation. W. W. Norton & Company, 1986
Overview
The history of Rhode Island is an overview of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the state of Rhode Island from pre-colonial times to the present.
Rhode Island Colony period: 1636–1776
In 1636, Roger Williams settled on land granted to him by the Narragansett tribe at the tip of Narragansett Bay after being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious views. He called the site "Providence Plantations" and declared it a place of religious freedom.
In 1638, Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, John Clarke, Philip Sherman, an…
Pre-colonization
Native Americans occupied most of the area comprising Rhode Island, including the Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Niantic tribes. Many were killed by diseases, possibly contracted through contact with European explorers, and through warfare with other tribes. The Narragansett language eventually died out, although it was partially preserved in Roger Williams's A Key into the Language…
Revolutionary era, 1775–1790
Rhode Island was the first colony in America to declare independence on May 4, 1776, a full two months before the United States Declaration of Independence. Rhode Islanders had attacked the British warship HMS Gaspee in 1772 as one of the first acts of war leading to the American Revolution. British naval forces under Captain James Wallace controlled Narragansett Bay for much of the Re…
Industrial Revolution
In 1790, English immigrant Samuel Slater founded the first textile mill in the United States in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (Slater Mill) and became known as the father of the American Industrial Revolution. During the 19th century, Rhode Island became one of the most industrialized states in America with large numbers of textile factories. The state also had significant machine tool, silver…
Civil War
During the American Civil War, Rhode Island furnished 25,236 fighting men to the Union armies, of which 1,685 died. These comprised 12 infantry regiments, three cavalry regiments, and an assortment of artillery and miscellaneous outfits. Rhode Island used its industrial capacity to supply the Union Army with the materials needed to win the war, along with the other northern states. Rhode Island's continued growth and modernization led to the creation of an urban mas…
The Gilded Age
The fifty or so years following the Civil War were a time of prosperity and affluence that author William G. McLoughlin called "Rhode Island's halcyon era". Rhode Island was a center of the Gilded Age and provided a home (or summer home) to many of the country's most prominent robber barons. This was a time of incredible growth in textile mills and manufacturing, and saw a huge influx o…
Since 1929
In 1935, Governor Theodore Francis Green and Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate replaced a Republican dominance that had existed since the middle of the 19th century in what is termed the "Bloodless Revolution." The Rhode Island Democratic Party has dominated state politics ever since. Since then, the Speaker of the House has always been a Democrat and one of the most powerful figures in government.