Rhode Island (IPA: /ro?d 'a?l?nd/),
officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,[3]
is a state in the New England region of the United States of America.
Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen original American colonies
to declare independence from British rule, signaling the start of
the American Revolution. Rhode Island did not participate in the
Philadelphia Convention and was also the last of the original thirteen
states to ratify the United States Constitution.
Despite its name, most of the state of Rhode Island lies on the
North American mainland. Providence Plantations refers to the mainland,
while Rhode Island was the 17th and 18th century name for Aquidneck
Island (now composed of the city of Newport, and the towns of Middletown
and Portsmouth).[4]
Rhode Island has long held the nickname of "Little Rhody",
though the state has officially adopted the nickname of "the
Ocean State," as nearly one tenth of Rhode Island's inland
area is covered by salt water, and no part of the state is more
than a 30-minute drive from the water's edge.[5]
Contents [hide]
1 Name origin
2 Geography
2.1 Climate
3 History
3.1 Colonial Era
3.2 Revolution and industrialization: 1770–1860
3.3 Civil War to Progressive Era: 1860–1929
3.4 Great Depression to present: 1929-
4 Law and government
5 Economy
6 Demographics
6.1 Religion
7 Culture
7.1 Food
7.2 Sports
7.3 Local media
7.4 Landmarks
7.5 Famous Rhode Islanders
7.6 State items
7.7 Popular culture
7.8 Famous firsts in Rhode Island
8 Cities and towns
9 Education
9.1 Primary and secondary schools
9.2 Colleges and universities
10 Transportation
11 See also
12 References
13 Bibliography
13.1 Primary sources
13.2 Secondary sources
14 External links
[edit] Name origin
In 1524, Italian navigator, Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first
European to visit any part of what is now Rhode Island. He came
to what is now Block Island and named it "Luisa" after
Louise of Savoy, Queen Mother of France. Verrazzano described Luisa
as "about the size of the Island of Rhodes". When the
founders of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
surveyed the land, they thought that Aquidneck Island was the place.
A mistake occurred in 1614, when Luisa was charted by the Dutch
explorer Adriaen Block, after whom Luisa was renamed by the Dutch
West India Company; however, their motives in doing so are unknown.[6]
The official explanation by the State of Rhode Island is that Adriaen
Block named the area "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red
island" in reference to the red clay that lined the shore,
and that the name was later anglicized when the region came under
British rule.[7]
[edit] Geography
Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads
Block Island bluffs, Rhode Island
Terrain Map of Rhode IslandFurther information: List of Rhode Island
counties
The smallest of the 50 states, Rhode Island covers an area of approximately
1,545 square miles (4,002 km²) and is bordered on the north
and east by Massachusetts, on the west by Connecticut, and on the
south by Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. It shares a
water border with New York between Block Island and Long Island.
The mean elevation of the state is 200 feet (60 m). Located within
the New England province of the Appalachian Region, Rhode Island
has two distinct natural regions. Eastern Rhode Island contains
the lowlands of the Narragansett Bay, while Western Rhode Island
forms part of the New England Upland. Narragansett Bay is a major
feature of the state's topography. Block Island lies approximately
12 miles (19 km) off the southern coast of the mainland. Within
the Bay, there are over 30 islands. The largest is Aquidneck Island,
shared by the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth.
The second-largest island is Conanicut; the third-largest is Prudence.
Nicknamed the Ocean State, Rhode Island is home to a number of
oceanfront beaches.
A rare mineral, called Cumberlandite is found only in Rhode Island,
specifically in the town of Cumberland. It is the state rock. There
were intially two known deposits of the mineral, but since it can
be engineered into a form of gun powder, one of the deposits was
almost completely mined in the American Civil War.
Rhode Island is mostly flat with no real mountains. Rhode Island's
highest natural point is Jerimoth Hill, only 812 feet (247 m) above
sea level.[2]
[edit] Climate
Rhode Island is an example of a warm summer humid continental climate
with hot, rainy summers and cold, snowy winters. The highest temperature
recorded in Rhode Island was 105 °F (40 °C), recorded on
August 2, 1975 in Providence. The lowest temperature in Rhode Island,
-13 °F (-25 °C), was recorded on February 6, 1996 in Coventry.
Monthly average temperatures range from a high of 82 °F (28
°C) to a low of 20 °F (-7 °C).[8]
[edit] History
Main article: History of Rhode Island
[edit] Colonial Era
In 1524, Italian navigator Giovanni de Verrazzano traversed the
mid-Atlantic coast of North America, searching for an all-water
route through North America to China. In March of that year, he
left what is now New York harbor and headed east until he discovered
what was later called Block Island. Natives guided him into what
is now Newport Harbor. He remained for two weeks while his crew
surveyed the bay and the surrounding mainland. In early May, 1524,
Verrazzano departed to renew his search for a Northwest Passage.
In 1614, the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block visited the island that
is now called Block Island. Native American inhabitants included
the Narragansett tribe, occupying most of the area, and the closely
related Niantic tribe. Most of the Native Americans were decimated
by introduced diseases such as smallpox, intertribal warfare, and
the disastrous King Philip's War, but remnants of the Niantic merged
into the Narragansett tribe, where they remain on a federally recognized
reservation.
In 1636, Roger Williams, after being banished from the Massachusetts
Bay Colony for his religious views, settled at the tip of Narragansett
Bay. He called the site Providence and declared it a place of religious
freedom.
The following year, Anne Hutchinson was banished from Massachusetts
for criticizing the clergy there. She and some others, including
William Coddington and John Clark, founded the town of Portsmouth
on Aquidneck Island. In 1639, Coddington left Portsmouth and founded
Newport on Aquidneck Island.
In that same year a formal government was established for the island.
William Coddington was the first governor and Philip Sherman was
the first Secretary. In 1643, Samuel Gorton founded Shawomet, which
is now called Warwick. In 1644, the name of Aquidneck Island was
changed to Rhode Island.
John Clarke was granted a Charter in 1663 for Rhode Island and
Providence Plantations, which effectively united the two colonies
into one. Under the terms of the charter, only landowners could
vote. Before the Industrial Revolution, when most people were employed
as farmers, this was considered democratic. The original charter
was used as the state constitution until 1842.
The relationship between the New Englanders and the Native Americans
was strained, and caused some bloodshed. On December 19, 1675 colonist
militia from Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Rhode
Island massacred about 350 Narragansetts in the Battle of the Great
Swamp.[9] The largest tribes that lived near Rhode Island were the
Wampanoag, Pequots, Narragansett, and Nipmuck. One native named
Squanto, from the Wampanoag tribe, stayed with the Pilgrims and
taught them many valuable skills needed to survive in the area.
He also helped greatly with the eventual peace between the colonists
and the natives.
Roger Williams had kept the powerful Narragansetts on friendly
terms with local white settlers. Having kept the Native Americans
on friendly terms with settlers, the Narragansetts were even persuaded
to form an alliance with the English in 1637, carrying out an attack
that nearly extinguished the warlike Pequots. This peace did not
last long, however, and by 1670 even the friendly tribes who had
greeted Williams and the Pilgrims became estranged from the colonists
and conflicts erupted.
The most important and traumatic event in 17th century Rhode Island
was King Philip's War, which occurred during 1675–1676. King
Philip (his British nickname. His real name was Metacomet) was the
chief of the Wampanoag Indians. The settlers of Portsmouth had purchased
their land from his father, Massasoit. King Philip rebelled against
the English. The first attacks were around Narrangansett Bay, but
spread throughout New England.
[edit] Revolution and industrialization: 1770–1860
Rhode Island's tradition of independence and dissent gave it a prominent
role in the American Revolution. In 1772, the first bloodshed of
the American Revolution took place in Rhode Island when a band of
Providence residents attacked a grounded British ship for enforcing
unpopular British trade regulations in the incident which would
be come to known as the Gaspee Affair. Keeping with its culture
of defiance, Rhode Island was the first of the original thirteen
colonies to declare its independence from Great Britain (May 4,
1776,[1]) and the last to ratify the Constitution (which replaced
the Articles of Confederation) (May 29, 1790)—doing the latter
only after being threatened with having its exports taxed as a foreign
nation.
As the Industrial Revolution moved large numbers of workers into
the cities, a permanently landless, and therefore voteless, class
developed. By 1829, 60% of the state's free white males were ineligible
to vote.
Several attempts had been made to address this problem, but none
passed. In 1842, Thomas Dorr drafted a liberal constitution which
was passed by popular referendum. However, the conservative sitting
governor, Samuel Ward King, opposed the people's wishes, leading
to the Dorr Rebellion. Although this collapsed, a modified version
of the constitution was passed in November, which allowed any white
male to vote if he owned land or could pay a US $1 poll tax.
In addition to industrialization, Rhode Island was heavily involved
in the slave trade during the post-revolution era. Slavery was extant
in the state as early as 1652, and by 1774, the slave population
of Rhode Island was 6.3%, nearly twice as high as any other New
England Colony. In the late 18th century, several Rhode Island merchant
families began actively engaging in the triangle slave trade. Notable
among these was the Brown family, for whom Brown University is named,
although some important Browns became prominent abolitionists. In
the years after the Revolution, Rhode Island merchants controlled
between 60% and 90% of the American trade in African slaves.[10][11]
[edit] Civil War to Progressive Era: 1860–1929
During the Civil War, Rhode Island was the first Union state to
send troops in response to President Lincoln's request for help
from the states. Rhode Island furnished 25,236 fighting men, of
which 1,685 died. On the home front, Rhode Island, along with the
other northern states, used its industrial capacity to supply the
Union Army with the materials it needed to win the war. In addition,
Newport was the temporary home of the United States Naval Academy
during the war. Rhode Island's continued growth and modernization
led to the creation of an urban mass transit system, and improved
health and sanitation programs. After the war, in 1866, Rhode Island
abolished racial segregation throughout the state.[12] Post-war
immigration increased the population. From the 1860s to the 1880s,
most of the immigrants were from England, Ireland, Germany, Sweden,
and Quebec, Canada. Towards the end of the century, however, most
immigrants were from South and Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean.[13]
At the turn of the century, Rhode Island had a booming economy,
which fed the demand for immigration. In the years leading up to
World War I, Rhode Island's constitution remained reactionary, in
contrast to the more progressive reforms that were occurring in
the rest of the country. The state never ratified the 18th Amendment
establishing national Prohibition of alcohol.[14] During World War
I, Rhode Island furnished 28,817 troops, of whom 612 died. After
the war, the state was hit hard by the Spanish Influenza.[15] In
the 1920s and 30s, rural Rhode Island saw a surge in Ku Klux Klan
membership largely among the Swamp Yankee population in reaction
to the large waves of immigrants moving to the state. The Klan is
believed to be responsible for burning the Watchman Institute in
Scituate, which was a school for African American children.[16]
[edit] Great Depression to present: 1929-
In the 20th century, the state continued to grow, though the decline
in industry devastated many urban areas. These areas were impacted
further, as with the rest of the country's urban areas, by construction
of Interstate highways through city cores and the suburbanization
caused by it and by the GI Bill.
Providence in the mid-20th centurySince the Great Depression, the
Rhode Island Democratic Party has dominated local politics. For
years, the Speaker of the House, always a Democrat, has been one
of the most powerful figures in government[citation needed]. The
Democratic Party's core of support is in the urban areas of the
state and immediate suburbs. While known for old school politics
and corruption, Rhode Island also has comprehensive health insurance
for low-income children, the RITE CARE program, as well as a large
social safety net. Despite this, many urban areas still have a high
rate of children in poverty. Due to an influx of residents from
Boston, increasing housing costs have resulted in more homeless
in Rhode Island (from about 3,000 individuals in 1999 to over 6,000
today), as well as a doubling of the cost of an average home.[17]
The Republican Party, virtually non-existent in the state legislature,
has successfully put forward occasional state-wide "good government"
reform candidates who criticize the state's high taxes and the excesses
of the Democratic Party. Current Governor Donald Carcieri of East
Greenwich, and former Mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci
of Providence (who later became an independent, political boss,
and was convicted on RICO charges) ran as Republican reform candidates.
Prominent State Democrats include House Speaker William Murphy,
Senate President Joseph Montalbano, Providence Mayor David Cicilline,
Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, General Treasurer Frank Caprio,
Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva-Weed, and Lt. Gov. Elizabeth
Roberts. In recent years, the former Speaker of the House John Harwood,
State Senator John Celona, and State Senate President William Irons
were forced to resign in scandals.
In recent history, in 2003 a nightclub fire in West Warwick that
claimed one hundred lives caught national attention and resulted
in criminal sentences.[18]
[edit] Law and government
The capital of Rhode Island is Providence. The state's current governor
is Donald L. Carcieri (R) and its United States Senators are Jack
Reed (D) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D). Rhode Island's two United States
Congressmen are Patrick J. Kennedy (D-1) and Jim Langevin (D-2).
Further information: List of Rhode Island Governors
Rhode Island is one of a few states that does not have an official
Governor's residence.
The state legislature is the Rhode Island General Assembly, consisting
of the 75-member state House of Representatives and the 38-member
Senate. Both houses of the bicameral body are currently dominated
by the Democratic Party.
Because Rhode Island's population barely crosses the threshold
for additional votes in both the federal House and electoral college,
it is well represented relative to its population, with the eighth-highest
number of electoral votes and second-highest number of house representatives
per resident.
Federally, Rhode Island is one of the most reliably Democratic
states during presidential elections, regularly giving the Democratic
nominees one of their best showings. In 1980, Rhode Island was one
of only 6 states to vote against Ronald Reagan. In the 1984 Reagan
landslide, Rhode Island provided Walter Mondale with his 3rd best
performance. Rhode Island was the Democrats' best state in 1988
and 2000 and 2nd best in 1996 and 2004. The state was devoted to
Republicans until 1908, but has only strayed from the Democrats
7 times in the 24 elections that followed. In 2004, Rhode Island
gave John Kerry a greater than 20 percentage point margin of victory
(the third highest of any state) with 59.4% of its vote. All but
three of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns voted for the Democratic
candidate. The only exceptions were East and West Greenwich, and
Scituate.[19]
Rhode Island has abolished capital punishment, making it one of
the 12 states that have done so. Rhode Island abolished the death
penalty very early, just after Michigan (first state to abolish
it), and carried out its last execution in the 1840s.
Rhode Island has some of the highest taxes in the country, particularly
in its property taxes, ranking seventh in local and state taxes
and sixth in real estate taxes in the country, the end result of
a decade's trend of increasing taxes relative to other states.[20]
[edit] Economy
Textron's headquarters, in the company of One Financial Plaza and
the Rhode Island Hospital Trust buildingThe Blackstone River Valley
is known as the "Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution".[21]
It was in Pawtucket, that Samuel Slater set up Slater Mill in 1793,[22]
using the waterpower of the Blackstone River to power his cotton
mill. For a while, Rhode Island was one of the leaders in textiles.
However, with the Great Depression, most textile factories relocated
to the American South. The textile industry still constitutes a
part of the Rhode Island economy, but does not have the same power
that it once had. Other important industries in Rhode Island's past
included toolmaking, costume jewelry, and silverware. An interesting
by-product of Rhode Island's industrial history is the amount of
abandoned factories - many of them now being used for low-income
or elderly housing or converted into offices or trendy condos. In
Pawtucket and Providence, these abandoned mills are used as housing
for artists. Today, much of the economy of state is based in services,
particularly healthcare and education, and still to some extent,
manufacturing.[23][24]
The Fortune 500 companies CVS and Textron are based in Woonsocket
and Providence, respectively. FM Global, Hasbro, American Power
Conversion, Nortek, and Amica Mutual Insurance are all Fortune 1000
companies based in Rhode Island. The GTECH Corporation is headquartered
in Providence.
Rhode Island's 2000 total gross state product was $33 billion,
placing it 45th in the nation. Its 2000 per capita Personal Income
was $29,685, 16th in the nation. Rhode Island has the lowest level
of energy consumption per capita of any state.[25]
Health services are Rhode Islands largest industry.[citation needed]
Second is tourism, supporting 39,000 jobs, with tourism related
sales at $3.26 billion in the year 2000. The third largest industry
is manufacturing. Its industrial outputs are fashion jewelry, fabricated
metal products, electric equipment, machinery, shipbuilding and
boatbuilding. Rhode Island's agricultural outputs are nursery stock,
vegetables, dairy products, and eggs.
The state's taxes are appreciably higher than neighboring states.[20]
Governor Carcieri has claimed that this higher tax rate has had
an inhibitory effect on business growth in the state and is calling
for reductions to increase the competitiveness of the state's business
environment. Rhode Island's income tax is based on 25% of the payer's
federal income tax payment.[26]
The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Providence
County, in the city of Cranston.[27] A corridor of population can
be seen from the Providence area, northwest, following the Blackstone
River to Woonsocket, where nineteenth-century mills had been built.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, Rhode Island had
an estimated population of 1,076,189, which is a decrease of 3,727,
or 0.3%, from the prior year and an increase of 27,870, or 2.7%,
since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the
last census of 15,220 people (that is 66,973 births minus 51,753
deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 14,001 people into
the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in
a net increase of 18,965 people, and migration within the country
produced a net decrease of 4,964 people.
Rhode Island Population Density MapThe six largest ancestry groups
in Rhode Island are: Italian (19%), Irish (19%), French Canadian
(17.3%),[28] English (12%), Hispanic 11% (predominantly Puerto Rican
and Dominican, with smaller Central American populations), [2] Portuguese
(8.7%).
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 8.07% of the population aged
5 and over speaks Spanish at home, while 3.80% speaks Portuguese,
1.96% French, and 1.39% Italian [3].
6.1% of Rhode Island's population were reported as under 5, 23.6%
under 18, and 14.5% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately
52% of the population.
Rhode Island has a higher percentage of Americans of Portuguese
ancestry (who dominate Bristol County), including Portuguese Americans
and Cape Verdean Americans than any other state in the nation. French
Canadians form a large part of northern Providence County whereas
Irish Americans have a strong presence in Newport and Kent counties.
Yankees of English ancestry still have a presence in the state as
well, especially in Washington county, and are often referred to
as "Swamp Yankees."
[edit] Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Rhode Island are:[29]
Christian – 87.5%
Roman Catholic – 63.6%,
Protestant – 21.6%
Baptist – 6.3%
Episcopalian – 5.1%
Protestant - other – 3.2%,
Protestant, no denomination – 7%,
Other Christian – 2.3%
Jewish – 1.6%,
Muslim – 0.4%
Self-identified non-religious – 6%,
Other religious – 4.5%;.
Rhode Island is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence
and the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.
Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Roman Catholics[30]
in the nation mainly due to large Irish, Italian, and French Canadian
immigration in the past (these 3 groups form roughly 55-60% of the
state population); recently, significant Portuguese (though Portuguese
communities have existed since the mid 19th century) and Hispanic
communities (these 2 groups form roughly 20% of the state population)
have also been established in the state. Though it has the highest
overall Catholic percentage of any state, none of Rhode Island's
individual counties ranks among the ten most Catholic in the United
States, as Catholics are very evenly spread throughout the state.[30]
Rhode Island and Utah are the only two states in which a majority
of the population are members of a single religious body.
[edit] Culture
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)
The Rhode Island state quarter, depicting a vintage sailboat sailing
in front of the Claiborne Pell Newport BridgeMany Rhode Islanders
speak with a non-rhotic accent that many compare to a "Brooklyn"
or a cross between a New York and Boston accent ("water"
becomes "wata"). Many Rhode Islanders pronounce the 'aw'
sound as one might hear in New Jersey; e.g., "coffee"
is pronounced "cauwwefee."[31]
The nautical nature of Rhode Island's geography pervades its culture.
Newport Harbor, in particular, holds many pleasure boats. In the
lobby of the state's main airport, T. F. Green, is a large lifesize
sailboat.[32] The state's license plates depict an ocean wave.[33]
Additionally, the large number of beaches in Washington County (known
locally as South County) lures many Rhode Islanders south for summer
vacation.[34]
The Fox show Family Guy takes place in a fictional town in Rhode
Island named Quahog, a satirised example of a small town, which
may or may not have a real-life counterpart.[35]
The state was notorious for organized crime activity from the 1950s
into the 1990s when the Patriarca crime family held sway over most
of New England from its Providence headquarters. Although the power
of organized crime has greatly diminished in Rhode Island over the
last 20 years, its residents are still stigmatized by popular perceptions
of rampant graft and corruption that have haunted the state for
decades.
Rhode Islanders developed a unique style of architecture in the
17th century, called the stone-ender.
Rhode Island is the only state to still celebrate Victory over
Japan Day. It is known locally as "VJ Day", or just plain
"Victory Day" is more common.[36]
Beavertail State Park
[edit] Food
Rhode Island is a large per capita consumer of coffee. According
to a Providence Journal article, the state features the highest
number of coffee/donut shops per capita in the country, with over
225 Dunkin' Donuts locations in the state alone.[37] The Official
State Drink of Rhode Island is coffee milk,[38] a beverage created
by mixing milk with coffee syrup. This unique syrup was invented
in the state and is bottled and sold in most Rhode Island supermarkets.
Although coffee milk contains some caffeine, it is sold in school
cafeterias throughout the state. Strawberry milk is also popular.
Iced coffee is popular in both summer and winter. Frozen lemonade,
a mixture of ice-slush, lemons and sugar is popular in the summer,
especially Del's Frozen Lemonade, a company based in Cranston.
Wein-O-Rama is a popular Cranston restaurant which serves weiners.Several
foods and dishes are unique to Rhode Island, and are hard to find
outside of the state. "Wieners," which are sometimes called
"gaggers" or "weenies" are smaller than a standard
hot dog but are covered in a meat sauce, chopped onions, mustard,
and celery salt. If you want all of these on your weiners, you don't
have to ask for them separately. Just ask for one (or more) "all
the way." The most common way the word is spelled on menus
is "weiner." Many restaurants advertise "New York
System" weiners. However, this item cannot be found in New
York. Legend has it that the term was coined by Greek immigrants
who wanted to increase sales of the weiners they sold. The Original
New York System on Smith Street in Providence was reportedly the
first in the state (look for the initials "ONYS" set in
tile as you go in). The "system" is the combination of
the hot dog and meat sauce. Submarine sandwiches are referred to
as "grinders" in Rhode Island, with a popular version
being the Italian grinder, which is made with Italian cold cuts
(usually ham, prosciutto, capicola, salami, and Provolone cheese).
Chouriço (a spicy Portuguese sausage) and peppers, eaten
with hearty bread, is also popular among the state's large Portuguese
community. Another popular item is pizza strips. Sold in most supermarkets,
they are rectangular strips of pizza without the cheese. Spinach
pies, similar to a calzone but filled with seasoned spinach instead
of meat, sauce and cheese, are sold in many Italian bakeries and
local supermarkets. Variations can include black olives or pepperoni
with the spinach, or broccoli instead of spinach.
The state is also known for its johnny cakes. As in colonial times,
johnny cakes are made with corn meal and water, and pan fried much
like pancakes. During fairs and carnivals, Rhode Islanders enjoy
dough boys, plate-sized disks of deep fried dough sprinkled with
cinnamon and sugar. While these are known as zeppolas in other states,
such as New York, in Rhode Island zeppolas or zeppolis are completely
different. Traditionally eaten on Saint Joseph's Day (widely celebrated
across the state), St. Joseph's Day zeppolis are doughnut-like pastries
with exposed centers of vanilla pudding or riccota cream, topped
with a cherry.
The Ocean State's tradition of seafood is one of the most celebrated
in the country. Shellfish is extremely popular, with clams being
used in multiple ways. The quahog (whose shell is Rhode Island's
state shell) is a large clam which is mixed with stuffing and spicy
minced sausage and then baked in the shell to form a "Stuffie."
Steamed clams are also a very popular dish. Fried squid, or "calamari,"
is most popular in Italian restaurants, typically served Sicilian-style:
tossed with spicy banana peppers and with marinara sauce on the
side.
Rhode Island, like the rest of New England, has a long tradition
of clam chowder. While the white "New England" variety
is popular and the red "Manhattan" variety is not uncommon,
Rhode Island makes a clear chowder, known as "Rhode Island
Clam Chowder." It is very possible that the first chowders
cooked were the RI version. Fishermen used to use clams as bait
and towards the end of a trip would cook the clams with water, potatoes,
onion, and salt pork. The older potatoes would create a starchier
broth, so that the chowder was milk free, but still thick and creamy.
Ironically, Manhattan chowder is also a Rhode Island creation -
Portuguese immigrants who loved chowder but were short on cream
substituted something that they had a lot of - tomatoes - to create
red chowder.
Perhaps the most unusual culinary tradition in Rhode Island is
the "clam cake." The clam cake is a deep fried ball of
buttery dough with chopped bits of clam inside. They are sold by
the half-dozen or dozen in most seafood restaurants around the state.
The quintessential summer meal in Rhode Island is "clam cakes
and chowder."
It is also said that Clams Casino originated in Rhode Island after
being "invented" by Julius Keller, the maitre d' in the
original Casino next to the seaside Towers in Narragansett.[original
research?] Clams Casino resemble the beloved stuffed quahog but
are generally made with the smaller littleneck or cherrystone clam
and are unique in their use of bacon as a topping.
Rhode Island also has a couple of local happy hour treats. Sakonnet
Vineyards in Little Compton, Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth,
Diamond Hill Vineyard in Cumberland, and Newport Vineyards in Middletown
produce several varieties of red and white wine. Narragansett Beer
was originally brewed in Cranston. It is currently brewed outside
of the state, but the old brewery sign can still be found in Rhode
Island, welcoming visitors to the town of the same name. Newport
Storm Brewing Co. is located in Newport and makes a beer of the
same name and distills Tew rum, named after the famous Rhode Island
pirate.
[edit] Sports
Pawtucket Red Sox, AAA (minor league baseball) affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox
Providence Bruins, AHL (minor league hockey) affiliate of the Boston
Bruins
Newport Gulls, NECBL (New England Collegiate Baseball League)
Brown University Bears, Division 1 NCAA Basketball Team
Providence Friars, Division 1 NCAA Basketball Team of Providence
College
Rhode Island Rams*, Division 1 NCAA Basketball Team of the University
of Rhode Island
The Providence Grays won the first World Championship in baseball
history in 1884. The team played their home games at the old Messer
Street Field in Providence. The Grays played in the National League
from 1878 to 1885. They defeated the New York Metropolitans of the
American Association in a best of five game series at the Polo Grounds
in New York. Providence won three straight games to become the first
champions in major league baseball history.
Babe Ruth played for the minor league Providence Grays of 1914
and hit his only official minor league home run for that team before
being recalled by the Grays parent club, the Boston Red Stockings.
A now defunct professional football team, the Providence Steam
Roller won the 1928 NFL title. They used to play in a 10,000 person
stadium called the Cycledrome.[39]
A team by a similar name, the Providence Steamrollers, played in
the Basketball Association of America, which would become the National
Basketball Association.
From 1930 to 1983, America's Cup races were sailed off Newport.
[edit] Local media
Main article: Media in Rhode Island
[edit] Landmarks
Rhode Island State House with Providence Place mall at leftThe state
capitol building is made of white Georgian marble. On top is the
world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome.[40] It houses
the Rhode Island Charter of 1663 and other state treasures.
Providence is home to the First Baptist Church in America, the
oldest Baptist church in the Americas, which was founded by Roger
Williams in 1638. Providence is the home of the first fully automated
post office in the country. The seaside city of Newport is home
to many famous mansions, including The Breakers, Marble House and
Belcourt Castle. It is also home to the Touro Synagogue, dedicated
on 2 December 1763, the first synagogue within the United States,
and still serving. The synagogue showcases the religious freedoms
that were established by Roger Williams as well as impressive architecture
in a mix of the classic colonial and Sephardic style. The Newport
Casino is a National Historic Landmark building complex that presently
houses the International Tennis Hall of Fame and features an active
grass-court tennis club.
Rhode Island is home to the famous roadside attraction Nibbles
Woodaway, the Big Blue Bug, the world's largest termite.
Fort Adams, on Narragansett Bay, was the setting for the finish
of Eco-Challenge 1995.
Scenic Route 1A (known locally as Ocean Road)in Narragansett is
home to "The Towers", a large stone arch. It was once
the entrance to the famous Narragansett casino that burned down
in 1900. The towers now serve as a tourist information center and
also a banquet hall for events like weddings and birthday parties.
[edit] Famous Rhode Islanders
Main article: Famous people from Rhode Island
[edit] State items
State motto: Hope
State bird: Rhode Island Red (A breed of chicken)
State flower: Violet
State tree: Red Maple
State fish: Striped Bass
State fruit: Rhode Island greening (Apple)
State nicknames: The Ocean State, Little Rhody, The Littlest State,
The Thirteenth State
State rock: Cumberlandite
State mineral: Bowenite (a variety of serpentine)
State shellfish: Quahog
State Soil: Narragansett silt loam
State drink: Coffee Milk
State song: "Rhode Island, It's For Me"
[edit] Popular culture
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Editing help is available. (October 2007)
The Academy Award-winning film Reversal of Fortune (Jeremy Irons
- Best Actor in a Lead Role). A film, written by famed attorney
Alan Dershowitz, who, in real life defended the wealthy yet eccentric
Claus Von Bulow for the attempted murder of his wife, Sunny, in
Newport, Rhode Island.
The Academy Award-winning 1974 film The Great Gatsby based on the
classic American novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and starring
Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, and Edward Herrmann was
filmed in Newport, RI at the Rosecliff Mansion on Bellevue Ave.
The critically-acclaimed 2007 film Evening, which featured an ensemble
cast starring Claire Danes, Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette, Natasha
Richardson, Hugh Dancy, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep. The main
story of the film was set in idyllic and affluent Newport filmed
mostly at Gooseberry Beach.
The Showtime series Brotherhood is set in Providence.
The animated sitcom Family Guy (1999 – 2002; 2005 –
present) is set in the fictional town of Quahog.
Outside Providence (Movie, 1999), Directed by Michael Corrente,
starring Alec Baldwin.
There's Something About Mary (Movie 1998), Directed by the Farrelly
brothers, starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller, romantic comedy
partially set in Providence, Cumberland and Barrington
Providence, a TV series originally seen on the NBC network
Providence, a 1991 American/Canadian movie with Keanu Reeves
Dumb and Dumber (Movie)
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (sequel to Dumb and Dumber)
Me, Myself and Irene (Movie, 2000), Directed by the Farrelly brothers,
starring Jim Carrey who plays a Rhode Island State Trooper with
multiple personalities.
Doctor Doctor (TV series set in Providence, 1989–1991)
The Last Shot (Movie, 2004), starring Alec Baldwin and Mathew Broderick
Getting Out of Rhode Island (Movie, 2003)
Federal Hill (Movie, 1994)
On FOX's popular X-Files (1993 – 2001) TV series, character
Fox Mulder's family lives in Chepachet, a small town in the Northern
area of the state. His mother retires to Quonochontaug, an even
smaller community in South County.
The Justice League of America's first headquarters was depicted
in the comic books as being in a cave in the fictional district
of Happy Harbor, in Rhode Island.
The massively multiplayer online game City of Heroes is set in the
fictional city of Paragon City, Rhode Island, on the state's coast
overlooking the Atlantic.[41] An expansion to the game also features
another fictional Rhode Island town, Salamanca.
The popular videogame Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is focused
around the happenings in a mansion in Rhode Island.
Caitlín R. Kiernan's dark-fantasy novel Daughter of Hounds
is set primarily in Providence, but also features such other Rhode
Island locales as Woonsocket and Kingston.
Guitar virtuoso Guthrie Govan has a song on his solo album named
"Rhode Island Shred"
Ghost Hunters (TV series set in Warwick)
[edit] Famous firsts in Rhode Island
Rhode Island enacted the first law prohibiting slavery in North
America on May 18, 1652.[42]
Slater Mill in Pawtucket was the first commercially successful cotton-spinning
mill with a fully mechanized power system in America and was the
birth place of the Industrial Revolution.[43]
The oldest Fourth of July Parade in the country is still held annually
in Bristol, RI.
The first Baptist Church in America was founded in Providence in
1638.[44]
Ann Smith Franklin of the Newport Mercury was the first woman newspaper
editor in America (August 22, 1762)[42]
Touro Synagogue, the first Synagogue in America, was founded in
Newport in 1763.[42]
The first armed act of rebellion in America against the British
Crown was the boarding and burning of the Revenue Schooner Gaspee
in Narragansett Bay on June 10, 1772.
The idea of a Continental Congress was first proposed at a town
meeting in Providence on May 17, 1774. Rhode Island elected the
first delegates (Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward) to the Continental
Congress on June 15, 1774.
The Rhode Island General Assembly created the first standing army
in the colonies (1,500 men) on April 22, 1775.
On June 15, 1775, the first naval engagement of the American Revolution
occurred between a Colonial Sloop commanded by Capt. Abraham Whipple
and an armed tender of the British Frigate Rose. The tender was
chased aground and captured. Later in June, the General Assembly
created the first American Navy when it commissioned the Sloops
Katy and Washington, armed with 24 guns and commanded by Abraham
Whipple, who was promoted to Commodore.
Rhode Island was the first Colony to declare independence from Britain
on May 4, 1776.[42]
Pelham Street in Newport was the first in America to be illuminated
by gaslight in 1806.[42]
The first strike in the United States in which women participated
occurred in Pawtucket in 1824.[42]
Watch Hill has the nation’s oldest carousel that has been
in continuous operation since 1850.[42]
The motion picture machine (a machine showing animated pictures)
was patented in Providence on April 23, 1867.[42]
The first lunch wagon in America was introduced in Providence in
1872.[42]
The first nine hole golf course in America was completed in Newport
in 1890.[42]
The first state health laboratory was established in Providence
on September 1, 1894[42]
The Rhode Island State House was the first building with an all-marble
dome to be built in the United States (1895–1901)[42]
The first automobile race on a track was held in Cranston on September
7, 1896.[42]
The first automobile parade was held in Newport on September 7,
1899 on the grounds of Belcourt Castle.[42]
The first NFL night game was held on November 6, 1929 at Providence's
Kinsley Park. The Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals defeated the Providence
Steam Roller 16-0.
[edit] Cities and towns
Main article: Cities and towns in Rhode Island
See also: Rhode Island locations by per capita income
A historic side street in NewportThere are 39 cities and towns in
Rhode Island. Major population centers today result from historical
factors — with the advent of the water-powered mill development
took place predominantly along the Blackstone, Seekonk, and Providence
Rivers.
Ranked by population, the state's 8 cities are:
Providence (175,255)
Warwick (87,233)
Cranston (79,269)
Pawtucket (73,742)
East Providence (49,515)
Woonsocket (44,328)
Newport (26,475)
Central Falls (19,159)
In common with many other New England states, some Rhode Island
cities and towns are further partitioned into villages that reflect
historic townships which were later combined for administrative
purposes. Notable villages include Kingston, in the town of South
Kingstown, which houses the University of Rhode Island, and Wickford,
in North Kingstown, the site of an annual international art festival.
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary and secondary schools
Further information: Rhode Island schools
[edit] Colleges and universities
Main article: List of colleges and universities in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has 14 colleges and universities:
Brown University
Bryant University
Community College of Rhode Island
Gibbs College
Johnson & Wales University
Naval War College
New England Institute of Technology
Providence College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island School of Design
Roger Williams University
Salve Regina University
University of Rhode Island
Zion Bible College
[edit] Transportation
A Woonsocket bound RIPTA bus on the #54 line loads at Kennedy Plaza.Rhode
Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), which has its hub in downtown
Providence manages local bus transit for the state, serving 38 out
of 39 Rhode Island communities. RIPTA has 58 bus lines, 2 tourist
trolley lines known as LINK, and a seasonal ferry to Newport.[45]
The southern terminus of the MBTA commuter rail Providence/Stoughton
Line is also in downtown Providence and connects to Boston. Ferry
services link Block Island, Prudence Island, and Hog Island to the
Rhode Island mainland.
The major airport is T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, though Logan
International Airport in Boston is also used. The commuter rail
is in the process of being extended to the airport, which will link
by rail T.F. Green to Providence and Boston.
The Claiborne Pell Newport BridgeInterstate 95 runs diagonally across
the state connecting major population centers, while the auxiliary
interstate 295 provides a bypass around Providence. Narragansett
Bay has a number of suspension bridge crossings connecting Aquidneck
Island and Conanicut Island to the mainland, most notably the Claiborne
Pell Newport Bridge and the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge.
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