The first mention of Rhode Island in writing ("isola di Rhode") was made by explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 (he refers to an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay which he compares to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean). cbs news . Our fact-check sources: Executive Order 20-48 In the meantime, Rhode Island will cease using the state's full name in executive orders and on the state's official websites and official government documents. Rhode Island’s formal name is ‘the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.’ There’s a move now to change that. Voters in Rhode Island took to the polls on Tuesday to vote on a referendum that would change the state's official name. cnn. Phone and email requests to the governor's office for comment were not immediately returned. Rhode Islanders might be used to places with names like “Chepiwanoxet” and “Scituate” but these eight West Coasters are DEFINITELY not. The official name of the state is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations which was adopted from the amalgamation of the four localities namely the Newport, Portsmouth, Providence Plantation and Warwick settlement. Rhode Island considers taking 'plantation' out of its official state name. nbc news. "The word 'Providence' is for God's divine providence in giving Roger Williams a place to establish the American principle of religious liberty and church-state separation," Conley said of Providence Plantations' founder. History is what it is. Rhode Island's historian laureate, Patrick Conley, opposed the measure. He and Williams cited the groundbreaking work by Brown University President Emerita Ruth J. Simmons studying the university and Rhode Island's role in the slave trade. Rhode Islanders voted on Tuesday to remove "Providence Plantations" from the state's full name. Akramitis mountain. ", "Nobody is trying to eradicate the history that has been in play," Democratic state Rep. Anastasia Williams of Providence, who worked to get the question placed on the ballot this year following George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police and worked with the "Yes on 1" campaign, said before the vote. "Removing the word 'plantation' -- it will never truly make the amends of the past, the horrors of the past, but at least makes amends," said Democratic state Sen. Harold Metts of Providence, another legislative sponsor of the ballot question, before the election. You don't whitewash history. That is an act of, frankly, stupidity.". It is named for a large island in Rhode Island Sound. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: One outcome we know from this Election Day - a name change for Rhode Island. "What does that accomplish? Rhode Island voters have approved a ballot measure to remove “plantations” from the state’s official name, reported The Associated Press. A ballot measure removes Providence Plantations. The state's official name is "the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," and the "Providence Plantations" portion has come under scrutiny in the aftermath of protests following the death of George Floyd. Rhode Island's official name includes "Providence Plantations" after the name of a settlement founded in 1636 by Roger Williams that now includes the state's capital city, according to, Although Rhode Island passed a law in 1652 banning African slavery, it was never enforced and the state later "played a leading role in the transatlantic slave trade," according to. ", The "Providence Plantations" in the state's official name comes from the settlement founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, which now includes the state's capital, Providence, according to the, Although Rhode Island passed a law in 1652 banning African slavery, it was never enforced and the state later "played a leading role in the transatlantic slave trade," according to the, Rhode Islanders had more enslaved people "per capita than any other New England state," according to the John Carter Brown Library, including on, "Between the transatlantic slave trade and the West Indian provisioning trade, it is hard to imagine any eighteenth century Rhode Islander whose livelihood was not entangled, directly or indirectly, with slavery," according to the. The state of Rhode Island is moving to change its official name — "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" — due to its connection to slavery. Rhode Island was either named for the Isle of Rhodes (in the … Rhode Island's formal name is 'the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.' Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Monday that could change the state's official name to exclude a portion that has ties to slavery. Others didn´t. Plantations in the Deep South owned by wealthy white landowners often tasked enslaved black Americans to do the fieldwork, 60% of whom picked cotton. But the order would shorten it to just “Rhode Island”. A major part of the state of Rhode Island is situated on the Unites States mainland despite its name. The state’s official name, “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” appears on state documents. It shares a water border with New York. A previous effort to strike "Providence Plantations" from the state name. Rhode Island voters will decide on Election Day whether or not to remove the phrase “Providence Plantations” from the state’s official name. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Monday changing the way the state’s name appears on all government documents, … (CNN)Rhode Island Gov. Democratic Gov. AILSA CHANG, HOST: … Topographic map of Rhodes . SEE FULL COVERAGE. Does that advance race relations in America? The order, Executive Order 20-48, will change the name to just “Rhode Island” in official communications from the governor’s office — including future executive orders, citations and letterhead. "It is what it is. according to the Understanding Slavery Initiative. Legally, Rhode Island is on the books as the “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” An executive order from Democratic Gov. “Rhode Island was founded on the principles of acceptance and tolerance, and our state’s name – and actions – should reflect those values,” Raimondo wrote on Twitter. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Monday that will change the state’s official name on government documents, shortening it from “The State of Rhode Island … (CNN)The smallest state in the nation will no longer have the longest name. Updated 2309 GMT (0709 HKT) November 5, 2020. Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west and Massachusetts to the north and east, and it shares a water boundary with New York'sLong Island to the southwest. Providence Plantation was a colony established by Roger Williams in what is now present-day Providence, while Warwick settlement was appended to the Providence Plantation thus the plural Provid… For the state of Rhode Island , years of acrimony over an official designation with connotations of slavery. Rhode Island, officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States. The island's name might be derived from erod, Phoenician for snake, since the island was home to many snakes in antiquity. Updated 0016 GMT (0816 HKT) June 23, 2020. "If people knew Rhode Island's role in the slave trade, they would be more understanding," Metts said before the vote. For now, the state's full name, "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," has not officially changed. At the time Providence Plantations was founded, "plantations" simply referred to a tract of land or a farm, he said. In the world?" "Accept the true and accurate history of what Rhode Island participated in, because it's out in the open," Williams said. There was no organized opposition campaign filed with the state, though supporters of sticking with the full name made themselves known in opinion pages and letters to the editor. Rhode Island To Change State's Controversial Full Name Voters in Rhode Island have passed a ballot measure that will drop the words "Providence Plantations" from the official state name. ", Williams added: "If you don't believe that that word has a life, a real dark painful life, then you're seriously mistaken. The word "plantation" has a connotation associated with slavery leading up to the Civil War. The smallest state of the union, Rhode Island, also has the longest official name of any of the states: "State of Rhode Island". It was also unclear how the governor's executive order affects the proposed resolution, if at all. Proponents of this year's ballot effort spent at least $73,000 on a slick website, internal polling and digital advertising on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Google and Reddit, according to. "My opposition is purely historical," he told CNN, insisting his opposition is not racist. Raimondo signed executive order 20-48, which addressed the slavery ties and puts the issue as a referendum on the ballot in November. It will no longer be known as, quote, "the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." (CBS News) - Voters in Rhode Island took to the polls on Tuesday to vote on a referendum that would change the state’s official name. The Full name of Rhode Island is "State of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations". Listen • 2:38 MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: One outcome we know from this Election Day - a name change for Rhode Island. Conley said before the vote. The smallest state in the nation will no longer have the longest name. Gina Raimondo's executive order struck the term from state documents, and Democratic Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza's, "We can't ignore the image conjured by the word plantation," Raimondo, Announcing his office's decision to strike the term from official documents, Democratic Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice's 2007 report. The people have spoken, and the state’s full name – The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations – will be shortened to remove language that has long been criticized for its slavery connotations, according to The Associated Press. "You want to wipe that away?". Conley also questioned what striking the words from the state's official name would achieve. Rhode Island is bordered on the north and east by Massachusetts, on the west by Connecticut, and on the south by Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Rhode Island moves to change state’s official name due to slavery connotations. "But we need to present the true and accurate history of it entirely, as opposed to just bits and pieces. CNN projects Rhode Island voters have approved a measure that will strike "and Providence Plantations" from the state's name: "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He said he can trace his own family history of enslavement to a plantation in Virginia. ", This year's Question 1 ballot proposition asked voters whether to amend the state Constitution by trimming that name to simply "State of Rhode Island. For a state that is only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long, it is notable that its shoreline on Narragansett Bay in the Atlantic Ocean runs for 400 miles. This year’s Question 1 ballot proposition asked voters whether to amend the state’s constitution to change Rhode Island’s official name from “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” to simply “State of Rhode Island.” Geography. Even before the vote, some state and local leaders had already moved to strike "plantations" from the state's name in official communications by executive orders. Rhode Island drops ‘plantation’ from state documents and symbols. Rhode Island Some thought the island looked liked Rhodes, an island in Greece. There's a move now to change that There's a move now to change that By Alec Snyder, CNN Rhode Island is the smallest in area, the eighth least populous, but the second most densely populated of the 50 US states behind New Jersey. The state is one of the most densely populated and heavily industrialized for its size. It will no longer be known as, quote, "the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." A ballot measure to simplify the name to just "Rhode Island" passed with more than 52% of … , HOST: One outcome we know from this Election Day - a name for. Home to many snakes in antiquity farm, he said HOST: One outcome we know from Election. 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