Although Giovanni da Verrazano had visited the shore of Narragansett Bay as early as 1524, no European settlements were established in present-day Rhode Island until 1636. In that year Roger Williams was exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for not conforming to its strict puritan beliefs. Williams founded Providence on land which he purchased from the Narragansett Indians who had inhabited the region for centuries. Williams immediately established a policy of religious and political freedom in his new settlement. In 1652, Rhode Island was the first colony to prohibit the importation of slaves. However, many of the colonists still owned slaves and made their fortunes in trading them. Williams was followed by others leaders advocating freedom of worship who soon communities similar to his own on either side of Narragansett Bay. These communities united, and in 1663 King Charles II of England granted them a royal charter which provided a greater degree of self-government than any other colony in the New World and authorized the continuation of freedom of religion.
Wars with the Native Americans plauged the colony in the late 1600's, but by the early 1700's Rhode Island was in a period of peaceful prosperity. Farming and sea trading became profitable businesses; and Providence and Newport were among the busiest ports in the New World. At the onset 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 formally renounced its allegiance to Great Britain and declared independence. 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 Nathaniel Greene, second-in-command to General George Washington, and Commodore Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy, distinguished themselves as military leaders and heroes. The first African American regiment to fight for America made a gallant stand against the British in the Battle of Rhode Island. Rhode Island's independent spirit was still very much alive at the close of the Revolutionary War. It was the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution, demanding that the Bill of Rights, which guarantees individual liberties, be added.
Following the Revolution, industrialization came to 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 Nehemian and Seril Dodge helped make Providence one of the chief industrial cities of New England by 1824.
As industrialization and urbanization 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, these workers became assimilated into Rhode Island's industrial structure. Well into the twentieth century the tiny state's mills dominated the nation's textile industry and the mills' owners dominated the state's politics. After World War I however, mills began to move to other parts of the country, particularly the south where most of the cotton was actually grown, and Rhode Island was hit hard by the Great Depression. World War II brought an increased demand for the state's products once again and shipbuilding also became a major industry along its coast. Since that time Rhode Island has slowly begun to embrace a wider variety of industries, and today many of its factories are used for electronic manufacturing.
Rhode Island is one of only two states with no county governments, and its 39 municipalities each have their own form of local government. Many smaller communities retain the New England town meeting form of government, assembling to enact the local budget, set taxes and other local measures.
Visiting the State
At the Astor's "Beechwood" mansion, you can take a living tour and see the Mrs. Astor Gilded Age-play, "The 400 Club," about the society's first elite circle.
Belcourt Castle, home of the Rothschilds.
Benefit Street's Mile of History with self-proclaimed "most impressive" concentration of original colonial homes in America.
The Breakers, home of the Vanderbilts.
Belmonts, the marble house, where in December they celebrate the "pageantry of Christmas in Newport."
Brown University, the seventh oldest college in America, was used as a barracks by American and French troops during the Revolution.
First Baptist Church in America, established by Roger Williams in 1638.
"Hammersmith Farm," Jackie Onassis's house; also the Kennedy's summer White House which has the Presidential yacht "Honey Fitz" used by Robert Redford in the movie The Great Gatsby, and with gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmstead; was the site of John F. Kennedy's and Jacqueline's wedding.
International Tennis Hall of Fame enshrining Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, Gustav V, King of Sweden, Billie Jean King, and Bobby Riggs.
Johnson & Wales Culinary Archives and Museum features over 300,000 items relating to culinary arts, the world's largest collection of culinary archival materials, cookbooks, and objects relating to food and its preparation from the third millennium BC until today. Open for group and individual tours.
Newport: Mansions along the Bellevue, annual summer Jazz and Folk Festivals, Touro Synagogue-- the oldest Jewish house of worship in America since 1763, Pelham Street where, in 1806, the first street in America was illuminated by gaslight.
Providence - Roger Williams Landing Place Monument and National Memorial has exhibits on the original settlement; the Roger Williams Park Zoo; the Rhode Island School of Design Museum; and the Tony-Award-winning Trinity Repertory Theatre.
Slater Mill, where the Industrial Revolution got its start.
Southeast Light, on Mohegan Bluffs, is one of Block Island's most scenic overlooks.
The New England Pest Control building of Providence has The World's Largest Bug At 50 feet, this shocking blue termite called Nibbles Woodaway is the "only hurricane-proof giant bug in the world." The color choice was based on the scientific fact that all termites look blue under a microscope.
Watch Hill Resort, in Westerly, operates the nation's oldest carousel, built in 1850.
Famous Rhode Islanders
George M. Cohan (1878-1942) Singer, dancer, producer, actor, and playwright; Only composer to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor; wrote "Over There," "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy," and many other ppatriotic songs.Born Providence, Rhode Island.
Anne Hutchinson (1591?-1643) The first woman to establish a town in America; Portsmouth, Rhode Island, after she was ousted by the Puritan community of Massachusetts because her ideas conflicted with the Puritan "Covenant of Works."
Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819) U.S. naval officer; hero of the Battle of Lake
Erie (1813). Born South Kingston, Rhode Island.
Samuel Slater (1768-1835) Father of the American textile industry. Established the first automated textile mill at Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1790.
Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) Foremost painter of presidential portraits of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James
Monroe. Born Kingston, Rhode Island.
Fascinating Fact
If, because of recession or stock market crash, one of the mansions on Bellevue Avenue in Newport must be given up, the signs do not say that the houses are "for sale," for that would be too crass. Rather, the signs say that the homes are "offered for sale."
Rhode Island adopted a state flag in 1897. The flag features an anchor, the traditional symbol of hope, which was first adopted by Rhode Island as a symbol in 1647. Rhode Island's Revolutionary War troops carried flags of white with an anchor and thirteen stars, very similar in appearance to the state flag still used today.
