Portal:Rhode Island

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The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd-/ ^ⓘ, pronounced "road") is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.

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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McCarthy in 1973

Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American writer who authored twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western and postapocalyptic genres. His works often include graphic depictions of violence, and his writing style is characterised by a sparse use of punctuation and attribution. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novelists.

McCarthy was born in Providence, Rhode Island, although he was raised primarily in Tennessee. In 1951, he enrolled in the University of Tennessee, but dropped out to join the U.S. Air Force. His debut novel, The Orchard Keeper, was published in 1965. Awarded literary grants, McCarthy was able to travel to southern Europe, where he wrote his second novel, Outer Dark (1968). Suttree (1979), like his other early novels, received generally positive reviews, but was not a commercial success. A MacArthur Fellowship enabled him to travel to the American Southwest, where he researched and wrote his fifth novel, Blood Meridian (1985). Although it initially garnered a lukewarm critical and commercial reception, it has since been regarded as his magnum opus, with some labeling it the Great American Novel. (Full article...)

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Samuel Ward

Samuel Ward (May 25, 1725 – March 26, 1776) was an American farmer, politician, Rhode Island Supreme Court justice, governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and delegate to the Continental Congress where he signed the Continental Association. He was the son of Rhode Island Governor Richard Ward, was well-educated, and grew up in a large family in Newport, Rhode Island. He and his wife received property in Westerly, Rhode Island from his father-in-law, and the couple settled there and took up farming. He entered politics as a young man and soon took sides in the hard money vs. paper money controversy, favoring hard money or specie. His primary rival over the money issue was Providence politician Stephen Hopkins, and the two men became bitter rivals; the two also alternated as governors of the colony for several terms.

During this time of political activity, Ward became a founder and trustee of Brown University. The most contentious issue that he faced during his three years as governor involved the Stamp Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament just before he took office for the second time. The Stamp Act placed a tax on all official documents and newspapers, infuriating the American colonists by being done without their consent. Representatives of the colonies met to discuss the act, but when it came time for the governors to take a position, Ward was the only one who stood firm against it, threatening his position but bringing him recognition as a great Patriot. (Full article...)

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Did you know?

... that three decades after chasing away surveyors for a previous railroad with guns, residents of Wickford, Rhode Island, built their own railroad?
... that Northup Avenue Yard in Providence, Rhode Island, was described as "the finest in the New Haven system"?
... that James Diossa rescued the only public library and post office in Central Falls, Rhode Island, when the city went into bankruptcy?
... that a Rhode Island TV station broadcast for 14 months and then was off the air for 26 years before returning?

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One hundred years after the declaration that all men are created equal, there began to gather in Newport a colony of the rich, determined to show that some Americans were conspicuously more equal than others.

— Alistair Cooke

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The Prudence Island Lighthouse (known locally as the Sandy Point Lighthouse) is located on Sandy Point, Prudence Island, Rhode Island and is the oldest lighthouse tower in the state. Sandy Point is nicknamed Chibacoweda, meaning "little place separated by a passage," because the location is a little more than one mile offshore.

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The following are images from various Rhode Island-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 2The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 3Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 41884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 51884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 6Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 7The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 8The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 9A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 10Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 11County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 12Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 13Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 14Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 15The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 16Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 17Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 18Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 19Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 20A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 21The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 22Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 23In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 24The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 25Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 26The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 27The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 28In 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 29The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 30Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 31Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 32The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 33Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 34Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 35The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 36Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 37Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 38The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 39Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 40Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 41The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 42University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 43Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 44A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 45The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 46University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 47Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 48Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 49In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 50The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 51University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 52Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 53The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 54County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 55Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 56In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 57Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 58Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 59University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 60Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 61In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 62The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 63In 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 64A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)

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The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge with lightning

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged or categorized (e.g. Category:WikiProject Rhode Island articles) correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.