Providence, Rhode Island

History

This area was first settled in 1636 by Roger Williams, and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies. Williams secured a title to the land from the Narragansett Indians around this time, renaming the area "Providence," because of "God's merciful providence." Williams cultivated Providence as a refuge for persecuted religious dissenters, as he himself had been exiled from Massachusetts. Shortly after being settled, much of Providence was burned down in King Philip's War, which lasted from 1675 to 1676.

Related Topics:
1636 - Roger Williams - Thirteen Colonies - Narragansett - Massachusetts - King Philip's War - 1675 - 1676

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Providence's growth was slow during the next quarter-century. The first census of the colony was taken in 1708, and numbered 1,446 residents at that time. The next twenty-five years would prove to be a growth spurt, however. In the second census, taken in 1730, the colony's population had almost tripled to 3,916 people. The Providence territory would become smaller, though, as more and more of the land would become part of different towns, including Scituate and Johnston.

Related Topics:
1708 - 1730

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In the mid-1770s, Providence joined the other colonies in renouncing allegiance to the British Crown. Providence's population had exceeded 4,300 citizens by 1776, and Providence was able to avoid occupation by British soldiers during the Revolutionary War, though the city did suffer major interruptions in education and trade as a result of its location and facility as quarters for many troops passing through the area.

Related Topics:
1770s - 1776 - Revolutionary War

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Following the war, Providence's main focus on its economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing ones. Samuel Slater is credited as having begun the shift in about 1790, and historians mark the transformation's completion at about 1830. Manufacturing would be the city's major industry for the next one hundred years.

Related Topics:
Samuel Slater - 1790

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In April 2001 Mayor Vincent Cianci, Jr, often credited with Providence's 1990s renaissance, was indicted on federal charges of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, witness tampering, and mail fraud. Cianci was ultimately convicted of conspiracy and is currently serving his sentence in federal prison. In 2002, David N. Cicilline was elected Mayor in a landslide, making him the first openly homosexual Mayor of an American state capital.

Related Topics:
2001 - Vincent Cianci, Jr - 1990s - 2002 - David N. Cicilline - Homosexual

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