Rhode Island was the area now known as Aquidneck Island, which now comprises the city of Newport and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth, the largest of several islands in Narragansett Bay. PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It’s called Rhode Island now. Newport, Portsmouth, and Providence united in 1644 to form the Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ("plantation" is a British English word for "colony") with the aim of fighting for their independence. Thank you for the A2A. Best Answers. PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, RHODE ISLAND ANDPROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, RHODE ISLAND AND. It was named Rhode Island after the Native American's who had lived there. Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as […] The colony of "Providence Plantations" was on the mainland, centered around the town of Providence. On the 13th of March 1644 the Portsmouth-Newport General Court changed the name of the island from Aquidneck to the Isle of Rhodes or Rhode Island. The "Providence Plantations" part is pretty easy to figure out, as it was Roger Williams' original colony that grew from the mainland city of Providence. PROVIDENCE, R.I. — It’s called Rhode Island now. Why is Rhode Island called that if it is not an island? The actual name of the state is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. In this office he attempted to secure a guarantee of religious liberty in the colonies. State's historian laureate says voters should not drop Providence Plantations from state's official name. Riding a national wave of awareness about racial injustice, Rhode Island voters on Tuesday approved shortening the state’s official name and lopping off the centuries-old phrase – “and Providence Plantations” – that supporters said held connotations of slavery. For the record, the state’s official name is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. … One hundred and seventy-five years ago, Rhode Island, after more than two centuries, officially banned slavery in its constitution of 1843. Rhode Island's full, legal name is the "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations". So, the "Rhode Island" part of "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" is … Lawmakers in the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted last Wednesday to hold a statewide referendum on the state's official name. State Sen. Harold Metts, D-Providence, a Black lawmaker of Cape Verdean descent who led the push to purge the state’s name of “Plantations,” called it “a hurtful term to so many of us.” In 1643/1644, the towns were combined under their current name […] Just Rhode Island. ... Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations … There’s Providence Plantation in Charlotte, Cane Bay Plantation in Charleston, Plantation Springs in Knoxville. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Monday taking the 'first steps' to change the state's full name: 'The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.' Historical information. The Providence Plantations were the first white settlements in Rhode Island. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Rhode Island is the part that is an island, Providence Plantations … It was founded by Roger Williams. The name was officially given to the island in 1644 with the declaration: “Aquethneck shall be henceforth called the Isle of Rodes or Rhode-Island.” On July 15, 1663, English King Charles II granted a Royal Charter to the colony, “by the name of The Governor and Company of the English Colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations.” Although the Puritan British theologian Roger Williams (1603–1683) is often given the sole role of founder of Rhode Island, the colony was in fact settled by five independent and combative sets of people between 1636 and 1642. The Ocean State is technically called the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. In November 2010, residents will vote on whether to remove the controversial last three words from the name. On May 4th, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to the Great Britain and declare its independence. It was settled in 1636 by folks believed to have … Rhode Island is so small because it was established by ‘dissidents’ exiled from other colonies in New England (mostly Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies) in small pieces. The official name of Rhode Island is "State of Rhode Island and Providence".In the 1600s the Rhode Island mainland was called Providence Plantations, and the largest Island of the six other islands of Rhode Island was called Rhode Island back then, but later the mainland and island joined together to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it declared statehood in 1790. The first slaves in the colony of Rhode Island were Native Americans, prisoners of war from the conflicts with colonists in southern New England in the 17th century. Read More This isn't the first time the state has attempted to change its name: When the state tried in 2010, 78% of voters opposed the removal of "Providence Plantations." So Rhode Island was initially named after the two most important settlements. Just Rhode Island. In 1663 the name “Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” was adopted in the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II of England.|The official name of the state is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. But Metts said he … Now officials there are looking to make a change. Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” has been the official full name of the state since the colonial era, created by the unification of the original “four towns,” which in order of their dates of founding were Providence (1636), Pocasset/Portsmouth (1638), Newport (1639), and Shawomet/Warwick (1642). 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