USA Rhode Island - The History : USA  

USA Rhode Island - The History - Travel guide

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USA Rhode Island - The History

The History

Clergyman Roger Williams founded the present state capital, Providence, after being exiled by the Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans in 1636. Williams was followed by other religious exiles who founded Pocasset, now Portsmouth, in 1638 and Newport in 1639.

Rhode Island's rebellious, authority-defying nature was further demonstrated by the burnings of the British revenue cutters Liberty and Gaspee prior to the Revolution, by its early declaration of independence from Great Britain in May 1776, by its refusal to participate actively in the War of 1812, and by Dorr's Rebellion of 1842, which protested property requirements for voting.

Rhode Island was a haven for persons who held religious beliefs that were unpopular elsewhere in the colonies. Among the early settlers were Baptists, Quakers, Anglicans, Congregationalists, and Jews. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, many other denominations came to be represented among the people of Rhode Island. Among them were the Methodist, Presbyterian, Unitarian, and Universalist churches. Immigration from Europe and also French Canada in the 19th century resulted in the growth of the Roman Catholic population. By 1910 a majority of the population was Catholic.

Rhode Island became the 13th state to unite under America on May 29, 1790.