Quick Facts: Rhode Island

Rhode Island is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is bordered on the west by Connecticut, north and east by Massachusetts, and on the south by Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

ABBREVIATION: RI
NICKNAME: The Ocean State
POPULATION: 1,112308 (2024 est.)
CAPITAL: Providence
STATE BIRD: Rhode Island Red
STATE FLOWER: Violet
AREA: 1,214 sq. mi.
TIME ZONE: Eastern
ENTERED UNION: May 29, 1790
ALTITUDE: High, 812 ft. Jerimoth Hill
CLIMATE: Cold winters, warm summers; temperature range modified by proximity to ocean. Moderate rainfall.

Rhode Island is not an island. It received its name in the 16th Century when the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano entered Narragansett Bay. His account notes that an island, probably present day Block Island, reminded him of historic Rhodes in the Aegean.

Later, after Roger Williams had broken away from the Puritan intolerance of Massachusetts and set up a colony called Providence Plantations, Rhode Island became the name of the island on which Newport, the famous summer resort, is situated. In 1776 the state officially called itself the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

The textile industry of Rhode Island goes back to 1790, when Slater’s cotton mill-the first successful mill in the nation-was built at Pawtucket. A state that has few raw materials, Rhode island nevertheless has advantages to offer industry; an abundant supply of water power, ready access to markets, and a large pool of highly skilled workers.

Although the 19th century industries of jewelry, silverware, machinery, metal products and rubber goods are still important, plastics and electronics were the income producing products of the 20th Century.

Downtown Providence, Rhode Island

The state’s history has always been linked to the sea and seafarers. Rhode Islanders fitted out John Paul John’s first fighting sloop, the Providence, and later furnished the nation with two great naval heroes-Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who won the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, and Commodore Matthew Perry, who in 1854 opened Japan to the world.

Fun Facts:

The Quonset Hut takes its name from Quonset Point, the Naval Air Station on Narragansett Bay where this type of structure was first built.
The rights guaranteed to all Americans in the First Amendment to the Constitution, including freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, were among the rights promised much earlier to settlers in Rhode Island by Roger Williams, the colony’s founder.
The Rhode Island Red was one of the first chicken breeds developed to increase the quality and quantity of egg and meat production.
In colonial times, Providence was an important port in the Triangle Trade, which centered on slaves, sugar products-especially molasses-and rum. The Sugar Act of 1764 threatened Rhode Island’s economy and caused the colony to be among the first to push for an end to British rule.
The first circus in the United States was in Newport in 1774.
The first Afro-American regiment to fight for America made a gallant stand against the British in the Battle of Rhode Island.

History:

Rhode Island, the smallest state in the United States by area, has played an outsized role in the nation’s history. Known for its founding principles of religious liberty and political freedom, Rhode Island was a haven for dissenters, a leader in early industrialization, and a strong voice in the push for American independence.

Before European settlers arrived, the area now known as Rhode Island was home to several Native American tribes, including the Narragansett, Wampanoag, and Niantic peoples. These Indigenous communities had complex societies, economies based on farming, fishing, and trade, and a deep spiritual connection to the land.

The European chapter of Rhode Island’s history began in 1636, when Roger Williams, a Puritan minister, was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious beliefs and his defense of Native American rights. Williams believed in the separation of church and state and in freedom of conscience—radical ideas for his time.

He fled south and founded Providence, establishing a settlement based on principles of religious tolerance and fair dealings with Native peoples.

Other religious dissenters followed. Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, and others who had also been expelled from Massachusetts founded settlements in what would become Portsmouth, Newport, and Warwick. These towns later united to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

Rhode Island was unique among the American colonies. It had no official church, allowed freedom of worship, and welcomed people from many backgrounds, including Quakers, Jews, Baptists, and others persecuted elsewhere. In 1663, King Charles II granted Rhode Island a royal charter that guaranteed religious freedom—one of the first legal documents to do so in the Western world.

During the American Revolution, Rhode Island was a leader in resistance against British rule. It was the first colony to renounce allegiance to the British Crown in May 1776.

However, it was the last of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution, doing so in 1790 only after the Bill of Rights was promised to protect individual liberties.

In the 19th century, Rhode Island became a hub of the Industrial Revolution in America. The Slater Mill, built in Pawtucket in 1793, was the first successful water-powered textile mill in the U.S., sparking the rise of the American factory system.

Textile manufacturing and other industries flourished, bringing economic growth but also labor disputes and demands for political reform.

Rhode Island also played a role in social reform movements. It was active in the abolitionist movement and home to early labor rights advocates. However, like other states, it struggled with inequality—particularly in terms of political representation and workers’ rights—leading to events like the Dorr Rebellion in the 1840s, which pushed for expanded voting rights.

Today, Rhode Island is known for its rich cultural heritage, maritime history, and educational institutions. Though small in size, its historical influence is immense. Rhode Island’s commitment to freedom of thought and belief laid a foundation for core American values that endure to this day.