KNOW RHODE ISLAND

History And Facts About The Ocean State

Table of Contents

Indigenous people, mistakenly named “Indians” by Columbus, were the first inhabitants of present-day Rhode Island. European contacts with Rhode Island and its coastline have been claimed for several explorers, including medieval Irish adventurers, Norsemen, Portuguese navigator Miguel Corte-Real, and Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazzano.Sailing to Rhode Island in 1524, Verrazzano “discovered an island in the form of a triangle, distant from the mainland ten leagues, about the bigness of the (Greek) Island of Rhodes,” which he named Luisa after the Queen Mother of France. This was Block Island. Roger Williams and other early settlers thought that Verrazzano was referring to Aquidneck Island and changed that island’s native name to Rhode Island. This is one theory on how the state got part of its official name. No other significant recorded visits were made to Rhode Island until 1614, when English explorer John Smith charted the New England coast and Dutch mariner Adriaen Block visited Block Island, naming it for himself.Beginning in 1620, settlers from Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay ventured into the region to trade with native tribes. In 1635, Rhode Island’s first European settler, an eccentric Anglican clergyman named William Blackstone, arrived and built a home near Lonsdale on the banks of the Blackstone River.At the time, Rhode Island was inhabited by several native tribes. The largest of these were the Narragansetts, occupying an area along Narragansett Bay from Warwick to South Kingstown. Their population - including the Niantics, a related tribe - has been estimated at about seven thousand when the first Europeans arrived. The northwest corner of the state was home to the Nipmucks, while the Wampanoags held territory within Providence and Warwick and may have held islands in Narragansett Bay. Two sub-tribes also lived in the Warwick area, the Cowesetts and the Shawomets. Niantics populated much of the towns of Charlestown and Westerly. The Pequots, a Connecticut tribe, arrived in 1632 to battle the Narragansetts for control of an area east of the Pawcatuck River in Westerly and Hopkinton. These people subsisted on farming, fishing, and hunting and lived in compact villages composed of families who shared a kin relationship. These villages were led by sub-sachems or petty sachems. Ultimate governmental authority for the Narragansetts rested in two chief sachems, Canonicus and his nephew Miantonomi, both of whom reigned when Roger Williams founded the town of Providence. Roger Williams founded the first permanent white settlement in Rhode Island at Providence in 1636 on land purchased from the Narragansett Indians. Forced to flee Massachusetts because of persecution, Williams established a policy of religious and political freedom in his new settlement. Other leaders advocating freedom of worship soon established similar communities on either side of Narragansett Bay. These communities united, and in 1663 King Charles II of England granted them a royal charter, providing for a greater degree of self-government than any other colony in the New World and authorizing the continuation of freedom of religion. The early 1700s was a period of prosperity for Rhode Island. Farming and sea trading became profitable businesses. Providence and Newport were among the busiest ports in the New World. Despite making profits from the slave trade, Rhode Island was the first colony to prohibit the importation of slaves. At the start of the Revolutionary War, Rhode Islanders were among the first colonists to take action against British rule by attacking British vessels. On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to King George the III of England. Although no major battles took place in the state, Rhode Island regiments participated in every major campaign of the war. Rhode Islanders such as General Nathanael Greene, second-in-command to General George Washington, and General John Sullivan, distinguished themselves as military leaders. The first Black regiment to fight for America made a gallant stand against the British at the Battle of Rhode Island, fought on August 29, 1778. Rhode Island's independent spirit was still in evidence at the close of the Revolutionary War. It was the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The Country party, backed by Rhode Island’s farmers, controlled Rhode Island government in the late 1780’s. The Country party opposed a strong central government and eleven times rejected calls to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Finally, in May of 1790, ratification was approved at a convention by two votes. Following the Revolution, industrial growth began in Rhode Island. In 1790, Samuel Slater's mill in Pawtucket became America's first successful water-powered cotton mill. From this success, the Industrial Revolution in America began. In  addition, the founding of the American jewelry industry by Nehemiah and Seril Dodge helped make Providence one of the chief industrial cities of New England by 1824. Jabez Gorham, jeweler and silversmith, was the forerunner of the world renowned Gorham Manufacturing Company. As industrialization increased, Rhode Island's cities expanded with immigration. New citizens looking for job opportunities came from a score of countries, mainly Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, and French Canada. Over the years, as these workers became assimilated into Rhode Island's industrial structure, a tradition of manufacturing skill and excellence developed that is still an important asset for the state's economy. 

Sources: Rhode Island: A History, McLoughlin, William G., W. W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1986. Rhode Island, The Ocean State: An Illustrated History, Kellner, George H., & Lemons, J. Stanley, American Historical Press, Sun Valley, California, 2004.

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Roger Williams

Roger Williams was an English clergyman who, in 1636, left the repressive atmosphere fostered by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to found the first permanent European settlement in Rhode Island. This settlement, called “Providence Plantations” was the first organized colony in America to be founded on the principles of freedom of thought and worship. The official name of Rhode Island is “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”. It can be traced in this form back to the Royal Charter of 1663, granted to the Rhode Island colonists by King Charles II of England. In the Charter, it is the “Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”.

Life and Death of Roger Williams

The Origin of the Name Rhode Island

Giovanni Verrazano

 The origin of the name “Rhode Island” is uncertain and cannot be attributed to one source. In 1524, the Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazzano made the first verifiable visit to Rhode Island by a European adventurer. He was in the employ of the French king Francis I and several Italian promoters, and was searching for an all-water route through North America to China. After landfall at Cape Fear, North Carolina, about March 1, 1524, he proceeded up the coast to the present site of New York City to anchor in the Narrows, now spanned by the giant bridge that bears his name. From there, according to a letter written by Verrazzano dated July 8, 1524, he sailed in an easterly direction until he "discovered an Ilande in the form of a triangle, distant from the maine lande 3 leagues, about the bignesse of the Ilande of the Rodes" which he named Luisa after the Queen Mother of France. Verrazzano’s letter describing his visit to Rhode Island was known in England for it had been printed in English long before the Pilgrims came to New England. This letter was printed in Italian in 1556 and in English in 1582, and again in 1600, so that it may be considered as easily accessible to the early settlers before they left England. Today, it is believed that Verrazzano was describing Block Island (named in 1614 by Dutch mariner Adriaen Block). According to a 1625 Dutch account printed in Ioannes de Laet’s Nieuwe Wereldt, Captain Adriaen Block referred to Aquidneck Island as “een rodlich Eylande”, meaning “an island of a reddish appearance”, in reference to its red clay soil. The earliest recorded use of the name by the English colonists is in 1637, when Roger Williams wrote "at Aquednetick called by us Rode Island." in a letter to Massachusetts Bay Colony Deputy Governor John Winthrop. Rhode Island's first permanent settlement (Providence Plantations) had been established at Providence in 1636 by Roger Williams, a radical clergyman, and a small band of followers who had left the repressive atmosphere of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to seek freedom of worship. Other nonconformists followed Williams to the Narragansett Bay area and founded the towns of Portsmouth (1638), Newport (1639) and Warwick (1642). Because titles to these lands rested only on Indians deeds, neighboring colonies began to covet them. To meet this threat, Roger Williams journeyed to England and secured a parliamentary patent in March 1643-44, uniting the four towns into a single colony and confirming his fellow settlers' land claims. On March 13, 1644, Aquidneck Island was officially named: "Aquethneck shall be henceforth called the Ile of Rods or Rhod-Island." The name "Isle of Rodes" is found used in a legal document as late as 1646.The Parliamentary Patent of 1644 served adequately until the Stuart Restoration of 1660 made it wise to seek a royal charter. In 1663 the name "Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" was adopted in the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II of England. Roger Williams, in 1666, wrote: "Rode Island (in the Greek language) is an Ile of Roses.” Here we have the murky origins of “Rhode Island”. Sources: Documentary History of Rhode Island, Volume Two, Chapin, Howard M., Preston and Rounds Co., Providence, Rhode Island, 1919. Rhode Island: A History, McLoughlin, William G., W. W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1986 [BACK]

Anne Marbury Hutchinson (1591 – 1643)

Anne Marbury was born in 1591 in Alford, England. She was the daughter of an Anglican clergyman. In 1612, a year after her father died, she married William Hutchinson and soon began traveling to hear sermons of the Puritan preacher John Cotton. Cotton left England and the Hutchinsons followed him, joining other Puritans exiled in Boston. They arrived on the ship "Griffin" in 1634. William Hutchinson's cloth business prospered, and Anne Hutchinson became known for her ministrations to the sick and elderly. Her intellect and capabilities were admired. Anne began holding weekly religious meetings in her home. She had one meeting of women only, and another for both men and women. This was an era during which appearances counted greatly; austerity, piety and sanctimony were considered essential. Anne Hutchinson and her followers believed that individuals could have their own spiritual relationship with God, and interpret the Bible for themselves. These beliefs went against those of John Winthrop and the other Puritan leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Hutchinsons and those who shared their beliefs were called “Antinomians” – or persons who reject all laws – by the Puritan leadership, and were seen as a threat to the leadership of the Colony. Anne Hutchinson was put on trial twice for sedition, in November of 1637 and, again, in March of 1638. The second trial was held in Boston by the Puritan leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. After a trial that would be considered farcical today, she was convicted and excommunicated from the Puritan congregation. Following the trial, Anne Hutchinson and her children left the Bay Colony, heading for Providence. There they met with Roger Williams, who founded Providence in 1636. At Williams’ suggestion, fellow Antinomians bought Aquineck Island and the grass on several smaller islands from the Native-American chiefs Canonicus and Miantonomi for forty fathoms of the white shells. Anne Hutchinson arrived in the new settlement that was to become Portsmouth shortly afterwards. She continued to conduct religious meetings and espouse her views concerning the relationship between individuals and God.William Coddington – the civil leader of the settlement then known as Pocasset –  tried to impose his own interpretations of the “word of God” on the settlers and ruled like a feudal lord, with the settlers as his tenants. Anne Hutchinson successfully led a movement to amend Pocasset’s charter that gave “ freemen” the power to veto the chief executive's actions and established the positions of three “elders” to be elected to check the power of his actions. Anne Hutchinson and the freemen demanded an election for a government to replace Coddington, who left and established the settlement of Newport at the southern end of the island. The freemen of Pocasset changed the name of their town to Portsmouth and adopted a new government that provided for trial by jury and separation of church and state. William Hutchinson was chosen as the chief executive and served until March of 1640, when Portsmouth and Newport united and Coddington was elected governor. William Hutchinson died in 1642, at a time when the Massachusetts Bay Colony was attempting to gain control of Aquidneck Island. Given the outcome of her trial a few years earlier, Anne Hutchinson feared that authorities would try to apprehend her. So she and some of her children fled to the Dutch colony of New Netherland, now New York, where they settled near what is present day East Chester. But the Dutch had angered the Native Americans on Long Island, and in 1643 they revolted and massacred many of the settlers, including Hutchinson and all but one of her children. In 1922, a statue was erected in front of the State House in Boston honoring Hutchinson. The inscription on the marble pediment of the statue reads:

IN MEMORY OF

ANNE MARBURY HUTCHINSON

BAPTIZED AT ALFORD

LINCOLNSHIRE ENGLAND

20 JULY 1595 (sic)

KILLED BY THE INDIANS

AT EAST CHESTER NEW YORK 1643

COURAGEOUS EXPONENT

OF CIVIL LIBERTY

AND RELIGIOUS TOLERATION

Hutchinson is considered by scholars and historians to be a leading proponent and example of the development of religious freedom. Below are some links where you can read more about her and the beginnings of religious freedom in America.

Anne Hutchinson Banished

Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) Courage Ahead Of Her Time

Anne Hutchinson: History Posted By BYU

Anne Marbury Hutchinson On Rootsweb.Ancestry

 

Recommended Reading:

            Rhode Island's Joan of Arc, by Paul F. Eno.

            Rhode Island: A History, by William G. McLoughlin.

Anne Hutchinson, Puritan Rebel, by Cobblestone Publishing Company.

Sources:

Report of the Commission to Memorialize the Contributions of All Rhode Island Women, 2002.

Official Chronicle and Tribute Book of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, The Providence Tercentenary Committee, 1936.

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The Royal Charter granted by King Charles the Second in 1663.

The Independence of Rhode Island

At the Old State House on Benefit Street in Providence, the Rhode Island General Assembly on May 4th, 1776, passed “An ACT repealing an Act, intitled, “An Act for the more effectually securing to his Majesty the Allegiance of his Subjects, in this his Colony and Dominion of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations;” and altering the Forms of Commissions, of all Writs and Processes in the Courts, and of the Oaths prescribed by Law.”. The original act is in the keeping of the Secretary of State at the Rhode Island State Archives. Rhode Island was the first of the American colonies to repeal by official legislative act its allegiance to King George III of England. Rhode Island also had the first overt act of violence against the British authorities, the burning of the revenue sloop Liberty in Newport on July 19, 1769.

Origins of the Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

There is no official documentation from the time when Rhode Island first adopted the word "Hope" on its Seal and flag that explains why this word was chosen. The Rhode Island General Assembly first adopted a Seal for the colony containing an anchor with the word "Hope" above it on May 4, 1664. The most coherent explanation as to the use of "Hope" comes from the historical notes of Howard M. Chapin published in Illustrations Of The Seals, Arms And Flags Of Rhode Island, printed by the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1930. On pages 4 and 5, Mr. Chapin wrote that the words and emblems on the Seal were probably inspired by the biblical phrase "hope we have as an anchor of the soul", contained in Hebrews, Chapter 6, verses 18 and 19. [BACK]

Rhode Island Today

Government

Rhode Island's official name: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Capital: Providence

Governor: Donald Carcieri (R)

U.S. Senators: John F. Reed (D) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D)

U.S. Representatives: Patrick Kennedy (D) and James R. Langevin (D)

The Rhode Island legislature, called the General Assembly, is bicameral, with a Senate and a House of Representatives whose members are apportioned on the basis of population. The Senate has 38 members and is presided over by the Senate President who is elected from the membership. The House of Representatives has 75 members and is presided over by the Speaker who is elected from the membership. Election to both houses is for a term of two years. Each legislator is paid $13,000 annually, plus mileage. The Speaker of the House and the Senate President are paid double the amount of the other members.

The Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and General Treasurer are elected to four-year terms. Rhode Island is one of two states with no county government. It is divided into 39 municipalities, each having its own form of local government.

Survey of the Ocean State

Rhode Island lies in the northeastern part of the United States. It is bordered on the west by Connecticut and on the north and east by Massachusetts. The southern edge of the state fronts on the Atlantic Ocean. When the many bays, coves, and offshore islands are included, the state's total coastline measures more than 400 miles (640 kilometers). Narragansett Bay forms a deep 28-mile (45-kilometer) wedge into the state. The state's many islands include Aquidneck, Conanicut, Block, Prudence, Dutch, and Hog.
The greatest length of Rhode Island from north to south is 48 miles (77 kilometers). The state's greatest width from east to west is 37 miles (60 kilometers). The total area of Rhode Island is 1,214 square miles (3,144 square kilometers), including 165 square miles (427 square kilometers) of inland water surface.

[Map courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation.]

Natural Regions

During the Ice Age Rhode Island was covered by glaciers. These great ice sheets helped shape the physical features of all the New England states. As a result the natural regions of Rhode Island are also found in several neighboring states.


The New England Upland region occupies the western two thirds of the state. This region is part of the Appalachian Highlands (see Appalachian Highlands). A rough and hilly plateau marked by forests and lakes, it extends into Connecticut and Massachusetts. Rhode Island's highest point, Jerimoth Hill (812 feet; 247 meters), is in the New England Upland region.

The Seaboard Lowland occupies the eastern third of the state. Its boundary is a north-south line that runs several miles west of Providence. This shallow lowland area extends into southeastern Massachusetts. It is also part of the Appalachian Highlands. There are sandy beaches and salt marshes. Narragansett Bay, with its branches in the Seaboard Lowland region, forms the drainage basin for most of the state's principal rivers. These include the Providence, Pawtuxet, and Blackstone rivers. In the southwestern part of the state the Pawcatuck River drains into Little Narragansett Bay.

Climate

Rhode Island has a moist continental climate, with four distinct seasons. Its weather is tempered by sea winds, particularly in the Seaboard Lowland, which has a more moderate climate than the rest of New England. The average annual temperature is about 50^o F (10^o C) in various parts of the state.

At Providence the average January temperature is 28.6^o F (-1.9^o C), and the average July temperature is 72.2^o F (22.3^o C). The average annual precipitation (rain and melted snow) there is 42.7 inches (108 centimeters), including 39.2 inches (100 centimeters) of snowfall. Moisture is evenly distributed throughout the year. The climate of Block Island is somewhat more moderate than that of Providence, both in winter and in summer, with much less snowfall. In the northern upland region the growing season ranges from 100 to 125 days. Near the coast it ranges from 175 to 200 days.

Rhode Island's weather often changes suddenly because the state is located near the meeting place of many storm tracks. The worst storms were a great gale in 1815, the 1938 hurricane, and a severe blizzard in 1978.

Natural Resources

Water is Rhode Island's most abundant natural resource. Waterpower supplied by the state's many small streams was once used by the textile mills. Today most of Rhode Island's textile mills are powered by steam and electricity, but they continue to use billions of gallons of fresh stream water each year.

Narragansett Bay forms an open door for trade on the Atlantic Ocean. It is also a popular recreational area that attracts many tourists. Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean are the centers of the state's valuable fisheries. Only a small part of Rhode Island's soil is good for crops and pasture. More than 60 percent of the land is forested, but the trees yield little useful timber. The chief commercial trees include maple, ash, oak, birch, willow, elm, and pine.

Geography

Area: 1,214 square miles (land & water)

Greatest Distances: North to South - 48 miles; East to West - 37 miles

Elevation: Highest - Jerimoth Hill in Foster (812 feet); Lowest - Sea level along Atlantic coast.

Population: 1,067,610 (Census estimate, 7/1/06); Urban - 86%; Rural - 14%

Coastline: Over 400 miles

Climate: Avg. Jan. Temperature - 30 degrees Fahrenheit; Avg. July

Temperature - 72 degrees Fahrenheit

Yearly Precipitation: 44 inches (avg.)

Economy

Service producing industries, primarily tourism, health services and financial services, are Rhode Island's chief source of income and employ the greatest number of people. Tourism generates more than $3 billion dollars annually. Retail trade and manufacturing are the second and third largest segments of the Rhode Island economy. Other important sources of income are: Agriculture (dairy and poultry products); Fisheries (especially shellfish); and Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals. Providence is a major wholesale distribution center for New England; its port handles much of the oil shipped throughout the region. The RI Department of Labor and Training’s publication, A Decade of Change In Rhode Island, has useful economic and employment information. [BACK]

Rhode Island Facts & Figures

Rhode Island is the smallest of the 50 states in geographic area. The total area of the state is 1,214 square miles, of which 1,045 are land and 169 are water. This total excludes U.S. territorial waters, which were included in previous years. Narragansett Bay is 120.5 square miles in area, and extends in from the sea 28 miles. Rhode Island has 384 miles of tidal shoreline, which includes the shorelines of the several islands. The greatest length of the state is 48 miles and the greatest width is 37 miles. Rhode Island has 35 islands within its territorial waters, the largest being Block Island, with an area of 10 square miles. The highest point in the state is Jerimoth Hill in Foster, which is 812 feet above sea level. The geographic center of the state is in the center of Middle Road in East Greenwich, about three-quarters of a mile from the West Greenwich town line.

The total population as of the July 1, 2006 Census estimate was 1,067,610.

Rhode Island is the second most densely populated state, with 1,003 persons per square mile in 2006. There are 9,448 persons per each State Legislator. The population figures are as follows:

Males - 497,891 / Females - 534,771.

American Indian and Alaska native - 5389

Asian - 26,803

Black or African American - 51,843

Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander - 792

Hispanic or Latino (of any race) - 112,722

White - 856,314

Two or more races - 19,836

Persons under 5 years old - 64,050

Persons 5 to 9 years old - 62,697

Persons 10 to 14 years old - 73,919

Persons 15 to 19 years old - 60,984

Persons 20 to 24 years old - 65,586

Persons 25 to 34 years old - 138,881

Persons 30 to 34 years old - 70,720

Persons 35 to 44 years old - 160,021

Persons 40 to 44 years old - 87,535

Persons 45 to 54 years old - 156,874

Persons 55 to 59 years old - 65,357

Persons 60 to 64 years old - 46,332

Persons 65 to 74 years old - 62,549

Persons 75 to 84 years old - 60,290

Persons 85 years or more - 17,212

The median age of persons living in Rhode Island as of 2005 was 38.4 years.

Per capita personal income in 2005 was $36,153.

The gross state product in 2005 was $43,800,000,000.

A Few Interesting Facts Concerning Rhode Island Government

• Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen colonies to officially repeal its allegiance to the King of England (May 4, 1776) and the last of the thirteen to ratify the U.S. Constitution (May 29, 1790).
• Rhode Island was governed under a Royal Charter, granted by King Charles II in 1663, for 180 years. Rhode has been governed under its Constitution for 160 years.
• Rhode Island is the only state that still celebrates Victory Day (the end of WWII) as an official state holiday.
• The metal from which the Independent Man atop the Rhode Island State House was cast came from the breaking up of a statue of Simon Bolivar, which once stood in New York’s Central Park.
• Rhode Island Governor Benedict Arnold, the first Governor elected under the Royal Charter in November, 1663, was the great grandfather of the infamous Revolutionary War figure, Benedict Arnold.

Famous Firsts in Rhode Island

• In May or June of 1636, Roger Williams and some followers founded the first settlement in North America that was based on a policy of religious and political freedom.
• The banishment of Anne Hutchinson and her religious followers, called "Antinomians", led to the purchase of Aquidneck Island and the founding of Portsmouth, Rhode Island in 1638.
• Rhode Island enacted the first law prohibiting slavery in North America on May 18, 1652.
• The first Baptist Church in America was founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1638.
• Anne Franklin of the Newport Mercury was the first female newspaper editor in America (Aug. 22, 1762).
• The first Synagogue in America was founded in Newport, Rhode Island in 1763.
• The first armed act of rebellion in America against the British Crown was the boarding and burning of the Revenue Schooner Gaspee in Narragansett Bay on June 10, 1772.
• The idea of a Continental Congress was first proposed at a town meeting in Providence, Rhode Island on May 17, 1774. Rhode Island elected the first delegates (Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward) to the Continental Congress on June 15, 1774.
• The Rhode Island General Assembly created the first standing army in the colonies (1,500 men) on April 22, 1775.
• On June 15, 1775, the first naval engagement of the Revolution occurred between a Colonial Sloop commanded by Capt. Abraham Whipple and an armed tender of the British Frigate “Rose”. The tender was chased aground and captured. Later in June, the General Assembly created the first American Navy when it commissioned the Sloops “Katy” and “Washington”, armed with 24 guns and commanded by Abraham Whipple, who was promoted to Commodore. The Sloops "Katy" later became Sloop Providence, the first ship in the US Navy.
  
• Rhode Island repealed its allegiance to King George III of England on May 4, 1776.
• The first black soldiers in America fought at the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1778.
  
• Pelham Street in Newport was the first in America to be illuminated by gaslight in 1806.
• The first strike in the United States in which women participated occurred in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1824.
• Watch Hill, Rhode Island has the nation’s oldest carousel that has been in continuous operation (1850).
• The motion picture machine (a machine showing animated pictures) was patented in Providence on April 23, 1867.
• The first lunch wagon in America was introduced in Providence in 1872.
• The first nine-hole golf course in America was completed in Newport in 1890.
• The first state health laboratory was established in Providence on Sept. 1, 1894.
• The Rhode Island State House was the first building with an all-marble dome to be built in the United States (1895-1901).
• The first automobile race on a track was held in Cranston, Rhode Island on Sept. 7, 1896.
• The first automobile parade was held in Newport, Rhode Island on Sept. 7, 1899.

Quotes From Famous Rhode Islanders

• Elizabeth Buffum Chace, one of Rhode Island’s leading advocates for child welfare and women’s voting rights: "Believing as I do that God sends into this world no human soul which has not in it the possibilities of a pure and virtuous character, it was natural that I should see that a grave responsibility rested somewhere for the proper education of these children thus thrown upon the guardianship of the State…”

• Theodore F. Green, Rhode Island Governor and US Senator: "Most people say that as you get old, you have to give up things. I think you get old because you give up things."

• Gen. Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), second-in-command to Gen. George Washington, in a letter to his wife, May 1777.: "I am sure America will be victorious finally, but her sufferings for want of union and public spirit may be great first. There is no people on earth that ever had so fair an opportunity to establish their freedom at so easy a rate, if the opportunity had been properly approved. God grant a happy issue to the war!"
  

• Lt. Oliver Hazard Perry's dispatch sent after his victory against the British at the battle of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813: "We have met the enemy, and they are ours." (War of 1812).

• Claudine Schneider, US Representative: “I have the philosophy that one person can make a difference. Especially when one person is joined by another and another.”

• Eleanor Slater, State Representative, Senator on how she got elected: “Besides having an excellent picture taken of myself, it was the pony cart and hat gimmick that really did it”

• Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island (1603?-1683): "...that the Sovereign, original, and foundation of civil power lies in the people...And if so, that a People may erect and establish what form of Government seems to them most meet for their civil condition." The Bloudy Tenent, July 15, 1644.

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The Independent Man Atop The Rhode Island State House

The original concept of having a statue constructed and placed atop the proposed new State House in Providence can be traced to the annual meeting of the Rhode Island Historical Society, held on January 8, 1895. At that meeting, the Society unanimously adopted a resolution which said, “Resolved that in the opinion of the Rhode Island Historical Society a statue of Roger Williams should surmount the dome of the State House about to be erected…”. This resolution, along with testimony in support of it, was presented by members of the Society to the Board of State House Commissioners at their meeting on January 12, 1895. It was also reported in a newspaper at the time that the Roger Williams Association urged that the founding father “be given the lookout assignment” from the top of the dome.

The next important reference to the statue is in the July 17, 1899 meeting minutes of the Board of State House Commissioners. Here is an extract: “A model of a figure to be placed on the dome was presented and examined. The offer to George T. Brewster to design the statue for $3,000.00 was read and also the offer of the Gorham Manufacturing Co. to cast the same for $2,000. Voted that a statue be placed on the lantern surmounting the dome. Voted that the detail of the statue be left to the architects.” The August 17, 1899 meeting authorized the signing of a contract with George T. Brewster and Gorham Mfg. Co.

In October, 1899, it was reported in the Providence Journal that the idea of a statue of Roger Williams, who was referred to as an “independent man” had been dropped in favor of a figure depicting freedom and sovereignty. The Journal also reported that Charles McKim, the chief architect on the spot, had final say over the design of the statue and felt that a figure of Roger Williams perched 235 feet above street level would be merely “a voluntary association of pantaloons, jacket and hat.” McKim had therefore accepted George T. Brewster’s design, which the artist himself referred to as “Hope”. One historian has theorized that McKim also rejected erecting a figure of Roger Williams because it would have been incongruous to have a statue in colonial garb on top of a Renaissance structure.

The statue was placed atop the dome on December 18, 1899. It is 11 feet tall (14 feet to the tip of the spear) and consists of 500 pounds of gilded bronze cast in five sections and riveted together. An unusual footnote to the construction is that the bronze came from a statue of Simon Bolivar which had been removed from New York’s Central Park because it was not thought to be “artistic”. The many references to an “independent man” that were made during the debate over the design of the statue are the origin of the name by which we refer to it today. The “Independent Man” has only been down from his lookout once. On August 9, 1975, the statue was taken down for repair and a new coat of gold leaf. He was returned to his rightful place on July 20, 1976.

Source: Leonard J. Panaggio, Tourist Promotion Division, RI Development Council.

Abstract compiled by: Thomas R. Evans, State Librarian, Office of the Secretary of State. [BACK]

Portraits In The State Reception Room

When you visit the State Reception Room on the second floor of the Rhode Island State House, you will see the following portraits on display.

George Washington (1732-1799): Over the fireplace on the right hand (west) wall of the State Room is a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828). This is one of two full-length portraits of Washington commissioned by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1800, shortly after his death. Stuart, the foremost American portrait painter of his time, received $600 for each painting, and a further $389 was spent on their frames. On March 2, 1802, the portraits arrived from Philadelphia on the bark Eagle. One painting was placed in the Senate Chamber of the Old State House on Benefit Street, Providence, where it remained until 1901, when it was moved to the State Reception Room of the new State House. The other portrait was placed in the Senate Chamber of the Old Colony House in Newport, and has been on display there since 1802. These two portraits are considered to be some of the finest that have ever been painted of our first president, and are a treasured legacy to the people of Rhode Island. *Note: Stuart’s 1795 portrait of Washington was used for the picture on the $1 bill.

Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819): Perry’s portrait is on the northwest side of the State Room entrance (left-hand side when facing the rotunda). Perry, naval hero of the War of 1812, sent the now famous message “We have met the enemy and they are ours” after his victory over a British fleet on Lake Erie in 1813. He was promoted to captain and awarded a gold medal by Congress for his war service. He died on the Orinoco River in 1819, having contracted yellow fever while in command of a mission to Venezuela. His remains now rest in Newport, Rhode Island. His portrait was painted around 1900 by (Julius) Gari Melchers (1860-1932), one of the major late nineteenth-century painters in the world. Melchers worked in America, France, Holland and Germany, and he produced hundreds of paintings. Some of his works hang in the National Museum of American Art. Next to the stairs on the south side of the State House is a bronze statue of Perry that was cast by the Gorham Company and dedicated in 1928. This statue is a replica of a marble figure carved by William Walcutt for the City of Cleveland in 1860.

John Barry (1745-1803): John Barry’s portrait is on the northeast side of the State Room entrance (right-hand side when facing the rotunda). John Barry is known as the “Father of the American Navy”. He was born in County Wexford, Ireland and was a leading patriot and hero of the Revolution. He was given command of the Lexington, the first commissioned ship in the American Navy, and won America’s first naval victory against the British in April, 1776. Barry, in 1782, also won a victory in the last major naval engagement of the war, and was the senior officer of the navy when he died in Philadelphia in 1803. Commodore Barry sailed from Newport several times during the war, and in 1799, by the order of the President, he carried American envoys from Newport to France in the frigate United States. His portrait was painted by Wilfred I. Duphiney in 1950. Wilfred Duphiney was born in 1884 in Central Falls, RI. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design, and later taught there as an art instructor. His works are in the possession of the state of Rhode Island, the city of Providence and several universities and hospitals.

Nathanael Greene (1742-1786): Nathanael Greene’s portrait hangs over the fireplace on the east (right-hand side when facing the rotunda) wall of the State Room. It was painted by Gari Melchers in 1908. Across the State House steps from the statue of Oliver Hazard Perry is a bronze statue of General Nathanael Greene. It was designed by Henri Schonhardt and cast by the Gorham Company. It was dedicated in 1931.

Other Famous Rhode Islanders

George M. Cohan: (b. Providence, RI, 1878 - d. 1942) Singer, dancer, producer, actor, playwright, and composer. He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his work.

Robert Gray: (b. Tiverton, RI, 1755 - d. at sea, 1806): Captain of merchant ship Columbia, first American to circumnavigate the globe in 1790.  Columbia river and British Columbia are named after his ship.

Stephen Hopkins: (b. Providence, RI, 1707 - D. 1785): Governor, Delegate to the Continental Congress and Signer of the Declaration of Independecnce.

Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie: (b. Woonsocket, RI, 1874 - d. 1959) American League's first batting champion and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Matthew C. Perry: (b. Newport, RI, 1794 - d. 1858) Commodore in the United States Navy who compelled the opening of Japan to the West in 1854.  Younger brother of Oliver H. Perry.

Samuel Slater: (b. Derbyshire, England, 1768 - d. 1835) Father of the American Textile Industry. Built the first successful American water-powered textile mill in Pawtucket, RI.

Gilbert Stuart: (b. Saunderstown, RI, 1755  - d. 1828): Foremost painter of portraits of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The State of Rhode Island possesses two historic paintings of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. An earlier portrait by Stuart appears on the $1 dollar bill.

The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame currently has information on notable Rhode Islanders at the following web site:

Notable Rhode Islanders http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/studteaguide/HallofFame/notables.html [BACK]

State Symbols

State Symbol of American Folk Art
Adopted on May 28, 1985.

The Charles I.D. Looff Carousel (also known as the Crescent Park Carousel) is the state symbol of American folk art. The Crescent Park Carousel is all that remains of a large Victorian-era amusement park, which gave way to suburban development in the 1970s. Today, the carousel is a park by itself, as it still attracts visitors throughout a good part of the year. The Looff Carousel at Crescent Park in East Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the few handmade carousels still in use. It was designed and built in 1895 by Charles I.D. Looff, a native of Denmark, who was one of the earliest and most important manufacturers of carousels. Still functioning on its original site more than 100 years later, the Looff Carousel is one of the surviving examples of a once common American folk art. It was rescued in the 1970's by a handful of East Providence residents. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites and Places on April 21, 1976. In 1985 the Rhode Island General Assembly proclaimed the carousel as the "State Jewel of American Folk Art". In 1987, the Department of the Interior's National Park Service designated the carousel as a National Historic Landmark. A $1 million restoration effort was completed in 1995. The carousel features 56 hand carved wood jumping horses, 6 stationary horses, 4 chariots, a camel, a Wurlitzer military band organ, decorative panels, beveled mirrors, faceted glass jewels, electric lights, and colored sandwich glass windows. Picture and description courtesy of: Looff Carousel at Crescent Park, Bullock's Point Ave., East Providence, Rhode Island, United States Phone: 401/435-7518 or 401/433-2828.

Arms of the State
First adopted in 1882

The arms of the state are a golden anchor on a blue field, and the motto thereof is the word "Hope".

Picture courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation.

State Bird
Adopted on May 3, 1954

The breed of fowl, commonly known as the "Rhode Island red," is designated, and shall be known as the official state bird.

Picture courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation.

State Drink
Adopted on July 29, 1993

Coffee Milk is the official State Drink. It is similar to chocolate milk but is made with coffee syrup. A coffee “cabinet” is coffee milk with ice cream (a coffee flavored milk shake). The main ingredient of this shake is "coffee milk," first introduced to Rhode Islanders in the early 1920's. Coffee milk became so popular in Rhode Island that in 1993 the Rhode Island state legislature voted coffee milk as the official state drink. It's called a “cabinet” because its originator kept his blender in a “kitchen cabinet.” Autocrat Coffee Syrup is the preferred syrup in Rhode Island. Autocrat of Rhode Island is a leading provider of premium coffee syrup and coffee extract since 1895.

State Fish
Adopted on July 13, 2000

The State Fish is the Striped Bass (morone saxatilis).

Picture courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation.

State Flag
First adopted in 1877

The flag of the state shall be white, five feet and six inches fly and four feet and ten inches deep on the pike, bearing on each side in the center a gold anchor, twenty-two inches high, and underneath it a blue ribbon twenty-four inches long and five inches wide, or in these proportions, with the motto "Hope" in golden letters thereon, the whole surrounded by thirteen golden stars in a circle. The flag shall be edged with yellow fringe. The pike shall be surmounted by a spearhead and the length of the pike shall be nine feet, not including the spearhead.

Pledge of Allegiance To The Rhode Island State Flag

 

I pledge allegiance to our State Flag, and to the Republic of which Rhode Island forms a part; one Union inseparable, with honor and reverence for both State and Nation.

 

Source: Second Annual Program for Patriotic Exercises In Schools, May Fourth, 1910. The Commissioner of Public Schools, Rhode Island Department of Education, 1910.

State Flower
Adopted on March 11, 1968

The flower commonly known as the "violet" (viola sororia) is hereby designated as the state flower.

State Fruit
Adopted on June 20, 1991

The State Fruit is the Rhode Island Greening Apple. Developed in Rhode Island around 1796, greening apples retain their sharp taste in cooking. Their flesh is crisp and colored yellow-green.

State Mineral
Adopted on May 26, 1966

The state mineral, Bowenite, is a close relative of jade and can be considered a semi-precious gemstone. It is found in northern Rhode Island and was first discovered in the early 1800's by geologist George Bowen. Picture courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation.

Rhode Island’s Official License Plate Nickname is “Ocean State”.
Adopted on July 8, 1971.

State Rock
Adopted on May 26, 1966.

The State Rock is Cumberlandite. It is a heavy black or dark brown rock with white markings. It is found South of the Town of Cumberland on both sides of Narragansett Bay. It will attract a magnet, and is estimated to be between 1 and 1.5 billion years old.

State Seal
First adopted in 1664.

There shall continue to be one seal for the public use of the state; the form of an anchor shall be engraven thereon; the motto thereof shall be the word "Hope"; and in a circle around the outside shall be engraven the words, "Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 1636".



State Shell
Adopted on June 30, 1987.

The shellfish, commonly known as the "quahog" (mercenaria mercenaria), is hereby designated as the state shell for the state.

Picture courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation.

State Tall Ship and Flagship
USS Providence (Replica)
Adopted on July 27, 1993.

History comes alive aboard the Continental Sloop Providence! This 110' fully rigged sailing vessel is the faithful replica of John Paul Jones' first command. During her distinguished Naval career, the 12-gun Providence sank or captured 40 British enemy ships! She was a square-topsail-gaff-rigged sloop, the first ship commissioned into the Continental Navy and the first command of John Paul Jones. The new Providence is a replica built for the 1976 bicentennial. She has logged over 100,000 miles and is berthed in Providence, Rhode Island. The Providence is the official flagship and tall ship ambassador of the State of Rhode Island and has won the "Best Dressed Vessel" award from the Sailing Ambassador. History of the USS Providence from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center. Providence Maritime Heritage Foundation
P.O. Box 1261, Providence, RI 02901 Tel. (401) 274-7447 e-mail: info@sloopprovidence.org

State Tartan
Adopted on July 20, 2000.

This tartan was created as a State tartan by the St Andrews Society of Rhode Island Inc. The Society was founded in 1923.

Claire Donaldson of House of Edgar (Woollens) Ltd. / Scottish Tartans World Register: Rhode Island, The State of Rhode Island.

State Tree
Adopted on March 6, 1964.

The tree commonly known as the "red maple" (acer rubrum) is hereby designated as the state tree. Picture courtesy of the RI Economic Development Corporation

State Yacht
Courageous, US-12/26
Adopted on July 13, 2000.

Rhode Island General Officers and Congressional Members

General Officers

His Excellency, Donald L. Carcieri, Governor (Rep) of East Greenwich
222 State House, Providence, RI 02903
Tel. (401) 222-2080
Web: http://www.ri.governor.ri.gov Email: rigov@gov.state.ri.us

Hon. Elizabeth H. Roberts, Lieutenant Governor (Dem) of Cranston
116 State House, Providence, RI 02903
Tel. (401) 222-2371
Web: http://www.ltgov.ri.gov, Email: riltgov@ltgov.ri.gov

Hon. A. Ralph Mollis, Secretary of State (Dem) of North Providence
217 State House, Providence, RI 02903
Tel. (401) 222-2357
Web: http://www.state.ri.us Email: A.RalphMollis@sec.state.ri.us

Hon. Patrick C. Lynch, Attorney General (Dem) of East Providence
150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903
Tel. (401) 274-4400
Web: http://www.riag.ri.gov Email: mhealey@riag.state.ri.us

Hon. Frank T. Caprio, General Treasurer (Dem) of Providence
102 State House, Providence, RI 02903
Tel. (401) 222-2397
Web: http://www.treasurey.ri.gov, Email: treasury@treasury.state.ri.us

Senators In Congress

Hon. Jack Reed (Dem) of Cranston

728 Hart Building, Washington, DC 20510-3903 Tel. (202) 224-4642 Fax: (202) 224-4680

1000 Chapel View Blvd., Suite 290, Cranston, RI 02920-5602 Tel. (401) 943-3100 Fax: (401) 464-6837. 408 US Federal Courthouse, 1 Exchange Terrace, Providence, RI 02903-1773

Tel. (401) 528-5200

Web: http://www.senate.gov/~reed/, Email: Senator_Reed@reed.senate.gov

Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse (Dem) of Providence

B-40D Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510-3903
Tel. (202) 224-2921  Fax: (202) 228-2853
Providence Office: 170 Westminster Street, Suite 1100, Providence, RI 02903
Tel. (401) 453-5294  Fax (401) 453-5085
Newport Office: 320 Thames Street, Room 272, Newport, RI  02840
Tel. (401) 845-0700  Fax (401) 845-0703
Web: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/, Email: Senator_Whitehouse@whitehouse.senate.gov

Representatives In Congress

Hon. Patrick J. Kennedy, First Congressional District (Dem) of Providence

407 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Tel. (202) 225-4911 Fax: (202) 225-3290
249 Roosevelt Ave., Suite 200, Pawtucket, RI 02860
Tel. (401) 729-5600 Fax: (401) 729-5608 Toll free Tel. 1-(800) 392-5772
Web: http://www.house.gov/patrickkennedy/, Email: Patrick.kennedy@mail.house.gov

Hon. James R. Langevin, Second Congressional District (Dem) of Warwick
109 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Tel. (202) 225-2735 Fax: (202) 225-5976
300 Centerville Rd., Suite 200 South, Warwick, RI 02886
Tel. (401) 732-9400 Fax: (401) 737-2982
Web: http://www.house.gov/langevin/, Email: james.langevin@mail.house.gov

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