Just Rhode Island. So, the "Rhode Island" part of "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" is … …commission, which in 1644 incorporated Providence Plantations, afterward Rhode Island. The name originally did belong to an island. ... Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations … It was created by two colonies merging, Providence Plantations was on the mainland (founded by Roger Williams), and Rhode Island was an island in Narragansett Bay, now called Aquidneck Island. Last week in the Woonsocket Call [and in the Providence Journal today], Rhode Island’s Historian Laureate, Patrick T Conley, published an article asking the reader to appeal to his authority and vote ‘No’ on Amendment 1, which seeks to remove the word ‘Plantation’ from Rhode Island’s official state name.In his article, Conley writes that, “Presentism is History’s cardinal sin.” The smallest state of the union, Rhode Island, also has the longest official name of any of the states: "State of Rhode Island". The clergyman Roger Williams, banished by the General Court of Massachusetts Bay for propagating "new and dangerous opinions," founded the Providence Plantations in June 1636. State's historian laureate says voters should not drop Providence Plantations from state's official name. The Providence Plantations were the first white settlements in Rhode Island. Early settlers erroneously thought that he had been referring to the island called Aquidneck by the Native Americans. The state known as Rhode Island official name is The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Just Rhode Island. 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." 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. The city of Warwick, R.I., is named for him. “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). In 1643/1644, the towns were combined under their current name […] Lawmakers in the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted last Wednesday to hold a statewide referendum on the state's official name. PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, RHODE ISLAND ANDPROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, RHODE ISLAND AND. According the Roger Williams Aquidneck Island was considered by some who had views it as being similar to the Isle of Rhodes and the name Rhode Island stuck for that part of the state where Mary Hutchenson's group of religious desenters founded the town of Portsmouth and later the towns of Newport and Middletown … It was founded by Roger Williams. There’s Providence Plantation in Charlotte, Cane Bay Plantation in Charleston, Plantation Springs in Knoxville. ... Wood wrote in 1999 that plantations would more properly be called … Thank you for the A2A. Why is Rhode Island called that if it is not an island? The official name is the State 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. One hundred and seventy-five years ago, Rhode Island, after more than two centuries, officially banned slavery in its constitution of 1843. 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. Williams bought a large … PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It’s called Rhode Island now. … Providence Plantations was the name of the colony founded by Roger Williams in the area now known as the City of Providence. 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. It was settled in 1636 by folks believed to have … Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Now officials there are looking to make a change. Rhode Island is the part that is an island, Providence Plantations … Rhode Island's full, legal name is the "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations". Best Answers. The Providence Plantations are what became Providence, RI and Newport and the surrounding area came to be called Aquidneck Island, which was the native name for the 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. Why is rhode island called rhode island? 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.” 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. So Rhode Island was initially named after the two most important settlements. The actual name of the state is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. On May 4th, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to the Great Britain and declare its independence. With 100-percent of precincts reporting, nearly 53-percent of voters approved a ballot question to remove Providence Plantations from its name. PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It’s called Rhode Island now. 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.' In November 2010, residents will vote on whether to remove the controversial last three words from the name. Read More In the patent of 1644 the entire colony was called Providence Plantations. Historical information. For the record, the state’s official name is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Secure a guarantee of religious liberty in the area now known as Rhode Island called Aquidneck by the Americans! 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