Portal:Rhode Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rhode Island Portal

The flag of Rhode Island

Rhode Island (/ˌrd-/ ROHD) 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...)

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

The Roger Mowry Tavern, also known variously as the Roger Mowry House, Olney House and Abbott House, was a historic stone ender house, built around 1653, in Providence, Rhode Island. Roger Mowry was a constable and operated the only tavern in the town. The tavern also served as a government meeting place, church, and jail. It was originally constructed as a 1+12-story single room house with a chamber upstairs. By 1711 the house was expanded with a two-story lean-to by 1711. At an unknown later date, the top of the roof of the original house was raised up further. The original portion of the house was restored by Norman Isham in 1895. The Roger Mowry Tavern was the oldest house in Providence until it was demolished in 1900. (Full article...)
List of recognized articles

Selected article - show another

The Blackstone River in Massachusetts
The Blackstone River is a river in the United States that flows through the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is 48 mi (77 km) long with a drainage area of 540 sq mi (1,400 km2) and drains into the Seekonk tidal river at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Its long history of industrial use has caused significant pollution, with the United States Environmental Protection Agency describing it as “the most polluted river in the country because of high concentrations of toxic sediments.” (Full article...)
List of selected articles

Did you know?

Quotes related to Rhode Island

Texas could wear Rhode Island as a watch fob.

Related portals

Selected picture

Brown University is a private university and member of the Ivy League located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1764, prior to American independence from the British Empire and early in the reign of King George III (1760–1820). Brown is the third-oldest institution of higher education in New England and seventh oldest in the United States.
Brown University is a private university and member of the Ivy League located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1764, prior to American independence from the British Empire and early in the reign of King George III (1760–1820). Brown is the third-oldest institution of higher education in New England and seventh oldest in the United States.
Credit: User:Dale182

Brown University is a private university and member of the Ivy League located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1764, prior to American independence from the British Empire and early in the reign of King George III (1760–1820). Brown is the third-oldest institution of higher education in New England and seventh oldest in the United States.

More selected pictures

General images

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

Topics

Selected panorama

A baseball game at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, May 7, 2002.
A baseball game at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, May 7, 2002.
Credit: User:Meegs
A baseball game at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, May 7, 2002.

Quality content

Featured articles

Featured lists

Good articles

Featured portals

Good article nominees

Former featured articles

Former featured lists

Former good articles

Subcategories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories

Related WikiProjects

Things you can do

Things you can do
Things you can do

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Discover Wikipedia using portals