ABOUT Rhode Island
Capital: Providence
State abbreviation/Postal code: R.I./RI
Nickname: Ocean State
Origin of name: Named after the Greek Island of Rhodes.
Briefs on Rhode Island:
Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union, but with longest official name, also known as the Ocean State has an extensive coastline and some interesting sites to offer. The main city of the state is Providence. Providence is the historic capital and also the largest city of the state.
Nick named as the Beehive of the Industry, Providence is a vibrant city with rich cultural heritage. The city is a home to the famous Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University and the State House. The thrilling events and festivals of the state especially the semi-monthly festivals along the river running through the heart of the city are largely acclaimed attractions.
Rhode island spreads in an area of 4000 square kilometers approximately. But the state has a thick population that is nearly 1,048,319. On the north and east of Rhode Island lies Massachusetts; on the west is Connecticut, on the south the Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. The state is mostly flat with hardly any mountains.
In 1614 the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block visited the island, which is now called as the Block Island. The island was under the control of the Native Americans for a long time. But gradually their population decreased due to spread of diseases and wars in the region. The most disastrous war was the King Philip's War that commenced in 1675 and continued for a year.
The site of Providence came into prominence during 1636 when Roger Williams settled at the tip of the Narragansett Bay. Williams named the site as Providence and a place of religious freedom. In order to construct a colony Williams had to sign a charter i.e. a document that confers some rights on a town, city, university etc. Thus Rhode Island was a charter colony, one of the three types of colonies that existed in the British Empire during its glorious years.
In 1639 a federal government was installed in the island. William Coddington was designated as the first governor while Philip Sherman was the foremost secretary of the state.
In 1643 Samuel Gorton, English sectary, founder of the American sect of Gortonites, founded Shawomet which is called Warwick. In 1644 the name of Aquidneck Island was changed to Rhode Island.
On 4th May 1776 Rhode Island was the first of the British colonies in America to declare independence. On 29th May 1970 Rhode Island became the last state to ratify the United States Constitution.
In 1842 the constitution of the state was passed.
Rhode island was one of the Union states during the Civil War. After the war the state witnessed large-scale immigration. In 1866 racial discrimination was abolished from the state. The economy of the country advanced at the end of this century.
While the First World War was going on, Rhode Island was a great source of manpower. But right after the war, the state was gripped by the Spanish Influenza epidemic.
However over the years the state has recovered from all damages and has successfully groomed in different sectors.
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