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Rhode Island is discovered
it was discovered by Adriaen Block and is named after him. he was born and died in Amsterdam, Netherlands -
First settler
his name was William Blackstone he came to Rhode Island because he was banned from Massachusetts Bay colonies -
Anne Hutchinson founded Portsmouth
she was banned from Massachusetts for heresy so she left and founded Portsmouth. she was a mother of 15. -
Nations first Baptist church was founded
it was founded by Roger Williams -
united with Providence
it was founded by roger Williams and they formed a single government. its the most populated city in Rhode Island today -
colony plagued by local indian war
they encountered a lot of native people and they were not immune to there diseases -
King Philip's war
between Narragansett Indians and colonists. several thousand Indians died and hundreds of colonists died. there was a lot of property damage -
KIng Philips war ended
Wampanoag Indian chief, King Philip, was executed. one of the most expensive wars of resistance -
King James ll suspended charter
ordered Rhode Island to submit to Dominion of New England. -
William of Orange became king
became King after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and Rhode Island's independent government resumed under the 1663 charter, which was used as the state constitution until 1842 -
property ownership qualifications established for voters
A man had to own $134 worth of Real Estate to be a voter. The oldest son of a Free-holder, though a fool, could vote; but his others sons, however talented, could not vote, unless they owned $134 worth of Real Estate. A man might have any amount of personal property and pay a tax on it, but could not vote. All able bodied men from 18 to 45 years of age had to bear arms, but could not vote. -
British sloop Liberty torched in Newport Harbor in protest of Britain taxes
was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution -
Connecticut, Rhode Island prohibited further importing of slaves
Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Georgia prohibit the importation of slaves. -
declares independence
Rhode Island first American colony to declare independence from Britain -
Stephen Hopkins sighed the Decloration of Independence
Stephen Hopkins was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, a Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court -
Battle of Rhode Island partial victory
But they failed to oust British -
British forces evacuated Rhode Island
It is reported that several officers entreated their general to delay the evacuation till to-day, that the epoch of their King’s accession to the throne might not be disgraced by the evacuation of one of his most important posts in America -
Catholics received same rights a Protestants
it was a short statute extending the roman catholic citizens to the same rights as the Protestants -
the Constitution Convention convened in Philadelphia
The Founding Fathers turned to the Rushworth's Collections of England for revolutionary precedents. George Washington presided. But Rhode Island refused to send delegates. -
became nations 13th state
They held out for an amendment securing religious freedom. The state was largely founded by Baptists fleeing persecution in Massachusetts. -
refused to participate in the war of 1812
A war between the United States and Great Britain, and Britain's Indian allies, lasted from 1812 to 1815. The U.S. declared war and historians have long debated the multiple factors behind that decision. -
women weavers from Pawtucket struck
Pawtucket was a major contributor of cotton textiles during the American Industrial Revolution. -
Dorr rebellion let to constitution reform
Dorr forces held an inauguration with a great parade of artisans, shopkeepers, mechanics, and militia marching through Providence. The newly elected People’s Legislature was convened. Dorr led a fiasco of an attack on the state arsenal, his cannon misfiring. Dorr’s arrest was ordered by the regular governor, and he went into hiding outside the state, trying to raise military support -
state constitution adopted
opposed by former Dorrites, used intimidation of state militia, of employees by employers, of tenants by landlords, to get out their vote. It lost in the industrial towns, but got the vote of the agrarian areas, and won all major offices -
states first train ran
Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Providence, Fitchburg, Lowell and Cape Cod. -
Rhode Islanders fought in the Civil War
The men were organized into about 10 infantry regiments, 4 cavalry units, and 6 artillery units including one Colored Troop. -
Racial segregation abolished
After the war, in 1865, Rhode Island abolished racial segregation throughout the state -
president Rutherford Hayes tested new telephone
President Rutherford Hayes tested new telephone
** it was a call from Rocky Point to Providence and the distance was
8 miles -
Naval War College opened
October 6, 1884, Secretary of the Navy William E. Chandler signed General Order 325, which began by simply stating: "A college is hereby established for an advanced course of professional study for naval officers -
Cornelius Vanderbilt's Newport mansion completed
The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" -
bloodless revolution
Democrats replaced Republican dominance in House and Senate. Since then, the Speaker of the House has always been a Democrat and one of the most powerful figures in government. -
Rhode Island celebrated 300 year anniversary
had a celebration celebrating 300 years by making a half doller -
hurricane kills 600 people
caused signifcant damages to housing -
hurricane Carol
19 killedpeople were killed. 3,800 homes lost and over $90,000,000 in damages -
hurricane Diane
3 people died. $21 million in damage at Woonsocket. Severe flooding -
Newport bridge opened between Jamestown and Newport
a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island -
Blizzard of 78 known as the worst storm in history
21 lives were lost and The storm was primarily known as "Storm Larry" following the local convention promoted by the Travelers Weather Service on television and radio stations there -
Claudine Schneider first women elected int congress
is a former Republican U.S. representative from Rhode Island. She was the first, and to date only, woman elected to Congress from Rhode Island. -
world prodigy, 500-foot tanker
spilled millons gallons of fuel near Newport. In a report on the accident, the safety board blamed the ship's captain, Iakovos Georgudis, for the spill, saying he was so tired after nearly a day and a half without rest that he allowed himself to get distracted with paperwork -
Tug towing barge caught fire
millions of gallons of fuel oil spilled near South Kingstown. On January 19, 1996, during a severe winter storm, the tugboat Scandia caught fire along the southern coast of Rhode Island. The crew abandoned the tug -
nightclub fire in West Warwick
100 people died The Station nightclub fire occurred on Thursday, February 20, 2003, in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics set off by the tour manager of the evening's headlining band Great White -
prostitution was outlawed
Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law a bill which makes the buying and selling of sexual services a crime. Prostitution was legal in Rhode Island between 1980 and 2009 because there was no specific statute to define the act and outlaw it. -
rainstorm caused flooding
it forced thousands from homes. It had a lot of property damage over $200 million -
state senate approved bill allowing civil unions for gay couples
Gay couples got equal rights and could now marry who they wanted -
Hurricane Irene
It knocked down trees, power lines, left over 500,000 without power -
same sex marriage executive order
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee issued an executive order that the state will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. -
dozens of women who attended a Rhode Island high school urged the Vatican to close the program
Dozens of women who attended a Rhode Island high school run by the disgraced Legion of Christ religious order urged the Vatican to close the program, saying the psychological abuse they endured trying to live like teenage nuns led to multiple cases of anorexia. -
mayor Charles Moreau convicted
In Rhode Island former Central Falls mayor Charles Moreau, convicted in 2012 of corruption, was freed from prison after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe. An appeals court had thrown his earlier conviction into question. -
government plans to sell leases
government plans to sell leases for wind farms US Interior Sec. Ken Salazar said the off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia. -
minimum wage rise
Ten states kicked off the new year with a of between 10 and 35 cents. The rises went into effect in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. -
gun buy-back
Rhode Island held a buy-back day and netted 186 firearms.
