Native Americans lived around
Narragansett Bay for thousands of years before English settlers began arriving in the early 17th century. Rhode Island was unique among the
Thirteen British Colonies in having been founded by a refugee,
Roger Williams, who fled
religious persecution in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish a haven for religious liberty. He founded Providence in 1636 on land purchased from local tribes, creating the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government. The
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations subsequently became a destination for religious and political dissenters and social outcasts, earning it the moniker "Rogue's Island".
Rhode Island was the first colony to call for a
Continental Congress, in 1774, and the first to renounce its allegiance to the British
Crown, on May 4, 1776. After the
American Revolution, during which it was heavily occupied and contested, Rhode Island became the fourth state to ratify the
Articles of Confederation, on February 9, 1778. Because its citizens favored a weaker central government, it boycotted the
1787 convention that had drafted the
United States Constitution, which it initially refused to ratify; it finally ratified it on May 29, 1790, the last of the original 13 states to do so.
The state was officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since the colonial era but came to be commonly known as "Rhode Island". In November 2020, the state's voters
approved an amendment to the
state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname is the "Ocean State", a reference to its 400 mi (640 km) of coastline and the large bays and inlets that make up about 14% of its area. (Full article...)
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The
U.S. state of
Rhode Island is home to 27 buildings over 175 feet (53 m) in height. Five of these buildings are taller than 300 feet (91 m), all of which are located in the state's capital and largest city,
Providence.
The tallest
skyscraper in the city and state is the
Industrial National Bank Building at 111 Westminster Street in
Downtown Providence, which rises 26 floors and 428 feet (130 m). The Industrial National Bank Building, nicknamed the "
Superman Building" due to its resemblance to the fictional
Daily Planet building from the 1950s TV series,
Adventures of Superman, is also the sixth-tallest building in New England outside of
Boston. The second-tallest building in Providence is
One Financial Plaza, which rises 30 floors and 410 feet (125 m) and was completed in 1973. (Full article...)
After the fire, multiple civil and criminal cases were filed. Daniel Biechele, the tour manager for Great White who had ignited the pyrotechnics, pled guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2006 and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison with four to serve. Biechele was released from prison in 2008 after some families of the victims expressed their support for his parole. Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, the owners of the Station, pleaded no contest and avoided a trial: Michael received the same sentence as Biechele and was released from prison in 2009, while Jeffrey received a sentence of 500 hours of community service. Legal action against several parties, including Great White, were resolved with monetary settlements by 2008. (Full article...)
To me Newport could never be a place charming by reason of its own charm. That it is a very pleasant place when it is full of people, and the people are in spirits and happy, I do not doubt. But then the visitors would bring, as far as I am concerned, the pleasantness with them.
Image 25In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 26In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 34In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 35Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
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