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Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs)
How did Rhode
Island get its name? I
Rhode
Island History
The
naming of the state has been the subject of debate.
In 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano
described the islands off the coast of present day Rhode Island as reminiscent
of Isle of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. When Dutch explorer, Adriaen Block came upon the same
islands in 1614 he named it “Roode Eyland” because of the reddish
rock ledges of the area now designated Aquidneck Island. Regardless of which explorer actually coined the name, the
site was known as “Rode Island” when Roger Williams arrived.
The charter from Great Britain designated the land “The Colony of
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” The official name of the
nation’s smallest state is now “The State of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations.”
The website for the State of Rhode
Island General Assembly has a section which gives an overview of the history of
Rhode Island to the present day. Included
are such topics as Native Americans and Explorers, Colonial Times, the American
Revolution, Dorr’s Rebellion, the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age. Principal
Indian Tribes of Rhode Island
The story of the Roger Williams Root
remains one of the great Rhode Island myths, a blend of fact and fiction that
has further perpetuated the legend of the founder of Rhode Island.
Roger Williams died sometime in 1683 and was buried on his property. His original home has since disappeared from the land,
replaced by the Sullivan Dorr Mansion at the corner of Benefit and Bowen
Streets. In 1860, a group of
citizens led by a descendent of Williams sought to move the body to a new burial
site. In the spot where he was
thought to be buried was a root from a nearby apple tree in a shape resembling
that of a human body. Whether or
not this root was formed around Williams’ body is the subject of debate.
Some remaining bone fragments were taken by the group and moved to the
North Burial Ground. They remained there until 1939, when they were interred in
the Roger Williams Memorial, where they are to this day. As for the root, it is part of the permanent collection of
the Rhode Island Historical Society. Rhode
Island and the Slave Trade
Rhode
Island established the first law regulating slavery on May 18, 1652 as part of
the Acts and Orders of the General Court of Warwick.
It stated the blacks or whites forced to serve another must be freed
after 10 years upon arrival in Rhode Island.
The fine for noncompliance was 40 pounds.
The
first act for the Non-Importation of Slaves was passed by the Rhode Island
General Assembly on June 13, 1774. It
stated that “no Negro or mulatto slave shall be brought in to this colony,
and in case any slave shall be brought in, he or she shall be…immediately
free, so far as respects personal freedom, and the enjoyment of private
property.”
The
Providence Journal has produced a website, The Unrighteous Traffick,
dedicated to outlining the history of the slave trade in Rhode Island: http://www.projo.com/extra/2006/slavery/nav.htm Brown
Family
There are numerous materials related
to the Brown Family in the collection of the Rhode Island Historical Society
including manuscripts,
graphic materials and, of course, the John
Brown House Museum. Some
additional sources of Brown Family information are: Rappleye,
Charles. Sons of Providence: The
Brown Brothers, the Slave Trade and the American Revolution. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 2006. http://dl.lib.brown.edu/slaveryandjustice/browse.php?verb=setup&field=name http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/Info/Slavery.html What
were Freemen?
During colonial times, the term
freemen described persons who were not indebted to the service of another, such
as a slave or indentured servant. Usually
all freemen were required to take an oath not to conspire against the laws of
the colony. In Rhode Island, an act was passed by the General Assembly in
1746 requiring all freemen to take an oath against bribery and corruption.
1,867 freemen took the first oath the following year. Only freemen were entitled to vote in
Rhode Island, but being a freeman did not automatically grant that right.
A freeman’s property had to be worth $134.00 for the man and his eldest
son to qualify to vote. These rules
remained in place until Dorr’s Rebellion (see Rhode Island History for link on
information to Dorr’s Rebellion and the subsequent changes to voting rights in
Rhode Island). Gaspee
The first open act of aggression toward Great Britain leading up to the American Revolution took place in Warwick on June 10, 1772. The British revenue schooner, the Gaspee, ran aground in Narragansett Bay. Before the ship could be set afloat, it was boarded by a battalion of men, led by Samuel Whipple and John Brown, and burned. Providence
Liberty Tree
Liberty Trees were sites in the
original colonies where individuals would meet to discuss or to plot
independence from Great Britain. The original Providence Liberty Tree was dedicated by the
Sons of Liberty on July 25, 1768. It
was located on Olney Street in front of a public house owned by Joseph Olney.
Silas Downer delivered the oration.
The tradition continues as the current liberty tree was planted at the
Roger Williams National Memorial on April 27, 2007.
The tree was propagated from the original liberty tree in Boston.
The first black army unit was
formed in Rhode Island in the Spring of 1778 to fight in the Revolutionary War.
A history of the First Rhode Island Regiment and commentary of the
service of former slaves during the war can be found at the website below. http://revolution.h-net.msu.edu/essays/adams2.html
Five State Houses Beginning in 1681 and continuing until 1854, Rhode
Island government rotated among the state’s five counties.
Each county had its own seat of government and state house where the
executive, legislative and judicial branches would meet.
In 1854, the rotation was then divided between Newport and Providence
until 1901 when Providence was named the sole capital of Rhode Island.
The five main state houses from that period remain standing today: Newport
Colony House (1743), Old State House - Providence (1762), King’s County
Courthouse – now the Kingston Free Library (1776), Kent County Courthouse –
East Greenwich (1805) and Bristol County Courthouse – Bristol (1817). The
current seat of state government, The Rhode Island State House, was built in
Providence in 1901.
Seven
Hills of Providence
The seven hills of Providence are evocative of the Seven Hills of Rome.
How
did Federal Hill get its name?
According
to The Streets of the City by Florence Parker Simister (F89 .P0 S52, v.1,
p. 127-128), Federal Hill was named for the Federal Constitution. An ox
roast was planned to take place on a site known as Federal Plain,
which was below the hill, on July 4, 1789 to celebrate the
ratification of the Constitution by New Hampshire. An armed group of 1,000 men protested the picnic because many
people in Rhode Island objected to the adoption of the Constitution. The
organizers of the picnic agreed to hold the celebration simply in honor of
Independence Day and not to toast the Constitution. In the end, 5 – 6,000
people peacefully attended the Independence Day picnic on Federal Plain. The
hill above the plain was subsequently called Federal Hill. Betty
the Learned Elephant
Betty
the Learned Elephant was owned by Hakaliah Bailey, the forefather of the Bailey
circus family. Bailey and Betty
traveled from town to town in New England where locals would be amazed at the
spectacle of the exotic Indian Elephant. Her
first visit to the town of Chepachet in 1822 was a huge success.
When visiting the town again in 1826, tragedy struck.
As Betty was crossing the wooden bridge spanning the Chepachet River,
shots rang out and Betty was killed. Five
boys were apprehended behind a gristmill and admitted the crime.
Bailey’s own promotion of Betty ultimately led to her demise.
He had declared her tough hide impenetrable to bullets, and the boys
wanted to find out if it was true. Four
years later, the guilty parties paid $1,500 in damages and were released from
responsibility in the crime. Rhode
Island Capitol Dome
The Dome atop the Rhode Island State House is one of only four domes in the world made of marble. The other three are St. Peter’s Basilica, the Minnesota State Capitol and the Taj Mahal. It is the second largest unsupported dome in the world, superceded only by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Independent
Man
Independent
Man has stood atop the Rhode Island State House since 1899.
He was originally named “Hope”, also the state’s motto, by
the artist George T. Brewster. The statue stands 11 feet tall and weighs over 500 pounds.
Independent Man was cast from bronze from a statue of Simon Bolivar,
which formerly stood New York’s Central Park.
Quonset HutsQuonset
huts are steel framed structures covered by corrugated and curved sheet metal.
They were designed to be lightweight, easily shipped and able to be
erected without the need of skilled labor during World War II.
The buildings were first manufactured at the Quonset
Point Naval Air Station, which is where it derived its name.
Oldest Buildings/Sites in Rhode Island:Touro Synagogue
– Newport:
The oldest synagogue in the United States was built in 1763. St. Mary’s
Roman Catholic Church – Newport:
The state’s oldest Catholic parish was founded in 1828.
The church was built in 1852 and later served as the site of the wedding
of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953. Flying Horse Carousel
- Watch Hill: The nation’s
oldest merry-go-round was built in 1867. The White Horse
Tavern – Newport:
Built in 1687, it is the nation’s oldest operating tavern/restaurant. Redwood Library
and Athenaeum – Newport:
The country’s oldest lending library and library building was founded
in 1747. Gray’s Store
– Adamsville:
The state’s oldest continually operating store was built in 1788. Saylesville
Friends Meeting House – Lincoln:
The nation’s oldest Quaker Meeting House in continuous use was built
between 1704 – 1705. Slater Mill –
Pawtucket:
The nation’s first successful water-powered cotton mill launched the
Industrial Revolution. Old School
House – Portsmouth:
The oldest schoolhouse in the United States was built in 1716. Prudence Island
Lighthouse – Sandy Point:
Originally located off Goat Island near Newport, the state’s oldest
surviving lighthouse was built in 1823. Two of the oldest houses
in Rhode Island are the Clemence-Irons House and the Arnold House,
both built in the style known as “stone-enders”.
The Clemence-Irons House was built in 1691 and is located in Johnston.
The Arnold House was built in 1693 and is located in Lincoln. Westminster
Arcade – Providence:
The country’s oldest enclosed shopping mall was built in 1828.
First Female
Newspaper Editor – Ann Franklin,
sister-in-law of Benjamin Franklin, became editor of the Newport Mercury
on August 22, 1762. First Baptist
Church – Established by
Roger Williams in Providence in 1639. The
first meetinghouse was built in 1700 and second, larger facility was built next
door. The current First Baptist
Church, also built on that site, was erected in 1775. First Gas
Streetlights – The coal gas
lamps were installed by David Melville on Pelham Street in Newport in 1806. First Public Roller
Rink – James L. Plimpton,
inventor of the Plimpton Skate, opened his rink at the corner of Bellevue Avenue
and Pelham Street in Newport in 1866. First Price
Regulation Law – Enacted
in Rhode Island on December 31, 1776 to “prevent monopolies and oppression.
By excessive and unreasonable prices.” First Gas Powered
Streetcar – The No. 13 ran
between the car barns and Olneyville Square in Providence in 1873. First Naval War
College – The College was
established by the United States Navy on October 6, 1884 at Coaster’s Harbor
Island. The 11-month course covered
military science, naval warfare and international marine law. First Nine-Hole
Golf Course – Opened at
Brenton’s Point in Newport in 1890. Rhode
Island hosted three of the first golf tournaments: national championship
stoke-play (1894), the amateur (1895) and open championship (1895). Famous
Rhode Islanders:
Famous Rhode Island Businesses/Companies
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