Historical note:

            The advent of World War One prompted the American Citizenship Campaign to activate. The Committee was formed through the cooperation of the R.I. committee on Public Safety, the RI Branch of the National Security League Inc., the Providence Chamber of Commerce and the Providence YMCA. Their intent was to have aliens to take steps towards naturalization. From its initiation in January 1917 to July 1918, its efforts secured 19,968 new citizens.

            The group had various activities to promote citizenship. Among them were evening lectures at the Providence Public Library on naturalization, visiting 5l factories, distributing 20,000 copies of different pamphlets in five languages and addressing 500 Rhode Island societies on the benefits of citizenship. Later they made a list of all aliens in the state, including their name, residence, age, nationality and date of arrival. From these lists, a letter was written to each family.

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Scope and content:

            The records of the group are primarily the list of aliens from Rhode Island towns, and listed by each ethnic group. This was probably done in 1917. Another list containing names, nationality, addresses, age date of arrival and date of first papers (for citizenship) is organized by the date of their first papers. The information is taken from some unknown volume because of the pages listed. There is also a total list and a final report of the group.

            While Germans were for some reason excluded from these lists, a related list of German nationals in Rhode Island can be found in the John J. Richards Papers (MSS 682). Richards was general of the Rhode Island militia. The report is titled “German Aliens in Cities and Towns in Rhode Island Enrolled May, 1917.” The format is similar to the reports compiled by the American Citizenship Campaign, organized by town and giving name, address, age and years in Rhode Island. However, it includes women as well as men.

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Inventory:

Box l

            Supplemental and Final Report, 1919

            List of aliens by First Papers taken out date, 1917 (5 folders)

            Totals of nationalities for each town

            Form letters sent to Associations and Clubs

            List of aliens by town and nationality

                        Barrington

                        Bristol

                        Burrillville

                        Coventry

                        Central Falls

                        Cranston

                        Cumberland

                        East Providence

                        Johnston

                        Lincoln

                        Newport

                        North Providence

                        Pawtucket

Box 2

            List of aliens by town and nationality

                        Providence-Asia, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Scotland

                        Providence-Belgium, Romania, Armenia

                        Providence-China

                        Providence-England, Portugal

                        Providence-Greece, Turkey

                        Providence-Ireland, Canada

                        Providence-Italy

                        Providence-Ireland, Sweden

                        Providence, Russia

                        Tiverton

                        Warren

                        Warwick

                        West Warwick

                        Westerly

                        Woonsocket

                        Misc., Unknown

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Subjects:

Aliens - Rhode Island

Citizenship - Rhode Island

Emigration and immigration

Greene, Theodore Francis (1867-l966)

Naturalization - Rhode Island

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RIHS1822