Rhode Island is a small state in the northeastern part of the US, bordered by Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of over 1 million people and is known as the “Ocean State”. The first European settlement was founded by Roger Williams in 1636, and the state played a role in the American Revolution. The state motto is “Hope” and the state emblems include a violet, Rhode Island Red bird, Red Maple tree, and striped sea bass.
Rhode Island is one of the fifty states that make up the United States of America and one of six New England states in the northeastern part of the country, along with Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. It is bordered by Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north, Massachusetts to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Providence is the capital and largest city. Other major cities in Rhode Island are Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket and East Providence.
Rhode Island is the smallest of the 50 states by size with an area of 1,044.93 square miles (2706.36 sq km), but ranks 43rd by population with 1,048,319 in the 2000 census. The next largest state, Delaware, it is almost twice as large. It is the 3rd among the states for population density. How its name originated is uncertain, but it is known to have been applied to the island in Narragansett Bay before being applied to the entire colony. It is nicknamed the “Ocean State”.
The first inhabitants of Rhode Island were, first and foremost, Paleo-Indians, approximately 11,500 years ago. When Europeans arrived, they encountered Native Americans of the Algonquian language group, including Wampanoag, Narragansett, Nipmuc, and Pequot. The first European settlement was Providence Plantation, founded by Roger Williams, a pioneer of religious liberty who got along well with the Narrangasetts after his arrival in 1636.
Conflict arose between the settlements of Providence and the neighboring settlements of Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut. After the Sugar Act of 1764, which was particularly difficult for Rhode Island to swallow, there were a series of acts of defiance, culminating in the burning of the Gaspee, a British vessel which was pursuing a smuggling vessel when it ran aground. Given this atmosphere, it is not surprising that Rhode Island sent aid to Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party in 1773 or sent its militia to aid when the battles of Lexington and Concord started the American Revolution in April 1775. Rhode Island became the last of the original Thirteen Colonies to join the Union on May 29, 1790.
The proper noun for a Rhode Island resident is Rhode Islander. Rhode Island’s state motto is Hope. The motto appears on the state seal, which displays an anchor. The combination could be a reference to Hebrews 6:18-19 which contains the phrase “the hope that we have as an anchor of the soul.” The anchor and motto also appear on the state coat of arms on a blue field and on the state flag on a white field surrounded by thirteen stars. Other state emblems include the following:
State flower: violet
State Bird: Rhode Island Red
State Tree: Red Maple
Shell State: Quahaug (quahog) – used to make wampum
State fish: striped sea bass
State drink: Coffee Milk, a drink made from milk and coffee syrup
State Fruit: Rhode Island Greening Apple
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