Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The history of Rhode Island is truly remarkable. The Story of Rhode Island is my humble attempt to tell you some of the stories about the people, places, and events that have made Rhode Island the state it is today.
To learn more about the show visit the Story of Rhode Island Podcast website at https://www.storyofrhodeisland.com/
Hello and welcome to the Story of Rhode Island. The podcast that tells you the story of Rhode Island’s fascinating history. In last week’s episode we watched Rhode Island native, Major General Nathanael Greene, save the Americans from losing the revolution by reviving their southern army and unleashing a brilliant campaign against General Charles Cornwallis. As we jump into episode 9, we revisit General Greene with his army in South Carolina and watch as they celebrate the Continental Army’s most recent success. It’s a cool October day in 1781 and Greene has just received some magnificent news about Washington’s army up North. Greene’s recent foe, General Cornwallis, just surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown, an extremely costly defeat that resulted in over 7,000 British soldiers being captured. To many in England, this defeat is the final straw on this costly war that’s been going on for far too long. As Greene and his officers laugh amongst themselves in their cozy headquarters, they toast to their glorious fight for independence. Greene, a man typically devoted to ensuring his troops remain sober and disciplined at all times, has given his men the day to celebrate the victory as well and now cheers of celebration are heard throughout the camp. All of these men have given a piece of their lives to the American revolution and they’ve watched many of their fellow soldiers make the ultimate sacrifice. So while their faces are full of joy and their bodies warm from the rum they’ve been drinking, they all have one thing on their mind; returning home. After years of war, they’re finally ready to enjoy the freedom they’ve worked so hard to obtain. It’s a future that Nathanael Greene also thinks of as he sits amongst his officers in his headquarters. He imagines sitting beside his wife at their house in Coventry while they watch their 4 children play with each other by the fire. Well luckily for Greene and the others who have served in this incredibly deadly conflict, their wishes come true in September of 1783 when the Treaty of Paris is signed and the American’s officially win the Revolutionary War. Shortly after the Treaty is signed, Greene’s time in the military comes to an end and he heads back to Rhode Island, the place hes seen so little of over the past several years. Greene knows that although the fighting is now complete, a new type of work will begin. Because now, with their independence solidified, Rhode Island and the other 12 states must finish building the new nation they fought so hard to protect. Although the process will be challenging for all, none will struggle more than the feisty little state around Narragansett Bay. While most throughout America will eventually agree that a stronger, more centralized government is needed, Rhode Island will be the most outspoken against such an idea. Then, with a Constitution having been created and the rest of the nation united under the new government it establishes, a new set of leaders will emerge in Rhode Island that makes their people even more opposed to joining the nation than ever before. Eventually, the people around Narragansett Bay, just like their ancestors from the previous century, will become known as a group of outcasts, a community so hell-bent on standing by their beliefs that many in America will wonder if they should even be included in the new nation they are building. The story of Rhode Island struggling to find its place in the United States of America is what we’ll cover in the Season finale of the Story of Rhode Island Podcast.
Intro Music
It’s July 4th of 1785 and Standing in front of a crowd in Bristol, Rhode Island is Henry Wight, a 33 year old pastor and veteran of the Revolutionary War. After deciding that the town of Bristol should dedicate time to appreciate their nation's newly acquired freedom, Wight’s organized an event consisting of various patriotic exercises. Although he doesn’t know it at the time, these patriotic exercises will continue long after his lifetime and eventually become known as the oldest fourth of July celebration in America. To kick off the event, Wight’s just completed giving a speech to his fellow townspeople, telling them about the wonderful set of liberties they’ve protected after years of war with the British empire. The people in the crowd, along with the man leading the ceremony, take a moment to silently reflect on those who served in the War for Independence. With their heads tilted towards the ground and a warm summer breeze blowing against their backs, the men and women think about how lucky they are to be living in such a free society. And to ensure their liberties remain intact, the people of America have ratified an agreement known as the Articles of Confederation. This agreement has created a governing body known as the Confederation Congress that’s tasked with overseeing the 13 states in the union. However, this governing body has little to no power; it cannot implement taxes, regulate commerce, nor does it have any real executive or judicial authority. So in actuality, the United States of 1785 is really more of a confederation of 13 sovereign states than a unified nation, similar to today’s European Union. But to the people of Rhode Island, that’s exactly how they want it. Ever since the founding of their radical society, the Rhode Islanders have done everything they can to ensure their people and not some far off authority, determines what laws, taxes, and regulation are implemented in their society. They’ve done so by giving 75 - 80% of all adult white males the right to vote, making it the most democratic society in the entire world. They even refuse to allow their own governing body, the General Assembly, to stray too far from their watchful eye by forcing it to rotate between 5 different capitals throughout the year. Unfortunately, there’s a growing portion of the American population who disagree with the Rhode Islanders and they’re beginning to believe that the Articles of Confederation needs to be scrapped so that a stronger, more centralized government can be created. Their reasons for wanting to do so are two-fold. First, due to the current government’s lack of power, America has been unable to pay off its war debts, keep interstate commerce organized, or garner any type of respect from foreign nations. Second, many throughout America’s upper classes don’t see Rhode Island’s radically democratic society as something to be admired but something that threatens the welfare nation. They believe that some of the states have taken the ideals of the Revolution have been taken too far and have given the common people too much of a voice in the laws that are being created. To remedy this situation, they want a stronger national government that can regulate the laws & policies created throughout their nation. And as the months pass, more and more people find themselves agreeing with this sentiment and begin pushing for the creation of a new government. But as the nation moves further in this direction, Rhode Island remains steadfast in their belief that the weaker the national government, the better. To make it worse, Rhode Island’s so-called “excessively democratic society” is about to implement a radical monetary policy that will drive them further away from the rest of the nation and once again making the people around Narragansett Bay a group of fanatical outcasts.
You might recall how earlier on in this Season we discussed a group of wealthy farmers known as the Narragansett Planters. These agriculturists from Narragansett Country, or what we know as Washington County today, became some of the wealthiest members of New England society by cultivating a range of goods that were sold throughout the Triangle Trade. Unfortunately, shortly after the first half of the 18th century came to an end, the planters watched their fortunes wither away. It started when they began dividing up their farms amongst their many children, an event that decreased the size of their landholdings and the profits they generated. Then, during the start of the Revolutionary War, their incomes declined even further when the British Navy shut down trade in Narragansett Bay and prevented the planters from exporting their goods out of Newport. Finally, as the British began to occupy and invade coastal towns like Newport, Bristol, and Warren, the South County farmers were asked to pay more taxes to make up for what the war-torn towns could no longer contribute. The Planters hoped that with the war now having come to an end that things would get better for them but unfortunately that’s not the case. Rhode Island now has a large sum of war debt that needs to be paid off and per usual this likely means an increase in taxes. This is especially worrisome to the planters because of the difficulty they have in accruing the funds needed to pay those taxes. Since most of their wealth is tied up in land it makes it extremely difficult for them to liquidate their assets into the hard money that’s needed for paying taxes. Many of them know that after years of economic hardship another tax could ruin them and lead to many losing the farms that have been in their families for generations. And so, by the summer of 1785, the once illustrious Narragansett Planters and rural communities throughout Rhode Island are a group of desperate individuals in search of hope. Well lucky for them, they believe they’ve found that hope in the form of a man named Jonathan Hazard. Hazard is one of the founders of Rhode Island’s newest political party known as the Country party, an organization that’s specifically focused on improving the lives of the state’s rural community. As we take our first look at Hazard we see him making a speech to a large crowd in the heart of Little Rest, or what we know as Kingston today. With his hands waving in the air and his voice echoing through the village's main street, he tells the South County farmers about how it’s time for the merchants controlling Rhode Island’s government to be thrown out of power. They’ve had control of the General Assembly for far too long and now a new crop of leaders must be elected that will look out for Rhode Island’s rural communities. He tells them how if the Country Party were to be elected into power then they would make it easier for them to pay their taxes. They would do so by authorizing the issuance of paper money that could be used to pay the taxes, thereby preventing the farmers from needing to liquidate their land for hard money. The people of Little Rest love the idea and when Hazard finishes his speech the crowd erupts in a roaring applause. As Hazard begins walking through the crowd, he shakes the hands of the men and women who have been in need of help for a while now. But not everyone is as excited about the paper money policy as the people in Little Rest. In fact, the wealthy merchants see the policy as downright evil. To them, the paper money policy is an attack on their pocketbooks and well that’s because it is. You see, in 18th century America there are few, if any banks, so when state governments and local communities need money they often have to lean on the wealthy members of their society for loans. Rhode Island’s merchants have been happy to lend them that money because they anticipated making a profit from the interest they would accrue. They were also happy to see their money being used to fund a Revolution they so vehemently supported. However, if these merchants were to be repaid with paper money, a form of currency that is notorious for depreciating in value, then it would not only prevent them from making a profit but from being fully reimbursed as well. Therefore, when the merchants hear about the paper money policy the Country Party is running on they’re furious and begin doing everything they can to prevent their party members from being elected into power. However, their attempts are unsuccessful and by the time the Spring election takes place in 1786, Hazard and his peers completely overthrow the merchants from power. Then, within a matter of months they go on to implement their paper money policy. Needless to say, the local merchants are outraged but they’re not the only ones who share such a sentiment. When the rest of America's upper class society hears about what Rhode Island has just done they are disgusted. Even national leaders like George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison consider the monetary policy completely unjust. However, and perhaps most importantly for our story, is the fact that America's upper class is repulsed by HOW the policy was created and WHO created it. By Rhode Island having such a democratic society it’s allowed members of their middle class, people they believe do not truly understand what’s best for their nation, to play such a direct role in government. And since their nation’s current government is so weak, there’s nothing that can be done about it. To many in America, this is the perfect example of why a stronger government needs to be created, one that will allow the nation's upper class, people who actually know what laws are best for their society, to regulate the policies that are created. Therefore, due to this sentiment, along with the belief that they need a government that can actually tax and regulate commerce, why a Constitutional Convention is held during the summer of 1787. It’s at this point when the great divide between Rhode Island and the rest of the nation really comes to fruition. It begins when Rhode Island shows just how much they disagree with building a stronger, more centralized government by being the ONLY state not to send representatives to the Constitutional Convention. Nonetheless, the nation carries on without Rhode Island and by September of 1787, a constitution is created and a new government is formed. Not surprisingly, part of the Constitution prohibits states from creating certain laws like issuing paper money. Then, as the Constitution is sent out to the states for ratification, that divide grows even deeper. Knowing that the Constitution will destroy their paper money policy and put rural farmers throughout Rhode Island in economic despair, Jonathan Hazard and the Country Party vehemently advocate against ratification. And for many throughout Rhode Island, it’s a good thing they do because the paper money policy is a huge success. By allowing the farmers to pay off their debts with paper money it keeps them afloat during these challenging economic times, a fact that cannot be said for rural communities throughout the nation. As farmers in other states are forced to pay their taxes in hard money, many of them end up losing their land and at one point, it even leads a former militia Captain, Daniel Shay, and almost 2,000 farmers to ignite a rebellion against the state of Massachusetts. However, thanks to the radical degree of democracy in America’s tiniest state, the farmers of South County are protected and just two years after the implementation of the paper money policy, Rhode Island officially pays off all of its war debt. Such a miraculous accomplishment would never have been achieved if Rhode Island had chosen to ratify the Constitution. Unfortunately, it's also put the people living around Narragansett Bay in a difficult position. By the end of 1789, Rhode Island is the ONLY state to not have ratified the constitution. Or if you want to look at it another way, of the 4 million people living in the United States all have agreed to join the Union except for a group of 70,000 stubborn individuals living around Narragansett Bay. Such a fact infuriates the leaders of America. Even the nation’s first President, George Washington, refuses to visit Rhode Island when he tours New England in the Fall of 1789. Then as the months pass, those sentiments turn into threats. Rumors began flying around that some want to dissolve the state of Rhode Island and have its territory divided amongst Massachusetts and Connecticut, an event that would be devastating given the fact that Roger Williams dedicated so much of his life preventing that from happening. It’s at this point when Jonathan Hazard and the Country Party decide that it’s simply unrealistic for their state to keep up their defiant ways. They must accept their fate and join the United States of America. Plus, the primary reason they were so opposed to such an action was because it would’ve threatened their paper money policy, a concern that’s now irrelevant as the policy has done its job. Nonetheless, this now means that the same man who spent the last three years telling his people why they shouldn’t ratify the constitution now has to convince them to do just that. And he must do so fast as time is quickly running out.
To say that Jonathan Hazard and the Country Party are solely responsible for making the people of Rhode Island so opposed to joining the United States of America wouldn't be completely accurate. It’s important to remember that the Rhode Islanders’s extremely individualistic mindset has always made them fearful of any type of centralized authority. On top of that, the Quakers, an always powerful political faction in Rhode Island with abolitionist ideals, are also reluctant to ratify the constitution since it doesn’t have an outright ban on slavery. Therefore, aside from the wealthy merchants, there’s a significant portion of the population naturally opposed to ratification. Unfortunately, that’s the direction the nation has chosen so Rhode Island can either join them or be treated as foreigners. Knowing this, Jonathan Hazard and the Country party now must find a way to convince his fellow citizens to ratify the constitution. As Hazard sits in the courthouse in Little Rest, a building that is now the home of the Kingston Free Library, his nerves make it more difficult than usual for him to deliver one of his fiery speeches. It’s March 1st of 1790 and time is running out. Rhode Island delegates shout at Hazard, telling him how he’s betrayed them. For the past three years he’s been telling them about the evils of the Constitution and now they’re just expected to accept this new government? How could they even consider such a thing? As the minutes pass, the arguments grow even more heated as Hazard tries to get the delegates to understand why ratification is simply the only option. They tell them how the rest of the nation is fed up with them. He’s even heard that some of the nation's leaders want to invade Rhode Island. And although that threat is largely unfounded, it still accurately reflects how the rest of America is losing patience with their state. With such dire consequences in mind, Hazard continues to push the people towards ratification, even though it comes with such intense pushback. As time passes, the efforts of the country party begins to work as the Quakers slowly come around to the idea. Although the Constitution doesn’t ban slavery immediately it does aim towards eventually ending the institution. They’re also persuaded by the fact that a more centralized United States government would be advantageous for trade, an activity the industrious Quakers have been highly invested in for decades now. Unfortunately, even with the Quakers shift in opinion, the Country Party knows that a majority of the people in Rhode Island are still not ready for ratification and in their radically democratic society, it’s the people who hold the power. So with this in mind, the convention is adjourned and all agree to address the topic again in May. This now means that the Country Party, Quakers, and merchants have but mere weeks to convince the people of Rhode Island to agree to ratification. If they fail then there’s no telling what will happen to their state. The pro ratification forces get to work immediately by sending people directly to rural communities, ensuring everything possible is done to sway their opinions. Meanwhile, the new national government continues to put pressure on Rhode Island by threatening to cut off all commerce with them if they don't join the Union. The Country Party convinces the United States to hold off on taking any such actions, telling them that they will have enough support for ratification by May. But deep down, they have no clue if they’ll actually be able to make that a reality or not. As the weeks pass, their pro ratification campaign continues but eventually May rolls around and the time for a decision to be made has arrived. America will find out once in for all if the people of Rhode Island will choose to join the Union or continue to remain on the outskirts of their new nation.
It’s May 29th 1790 and members of Rhode Island’s government are seated in the Newport Colony House. The delegates representing the states' various towns sit quietly in their wooden seats that extend out in an elongated semi circle. Standing out in front of them is the man leading this historic meeting, Daniel Owen. Owen is a 58 year old Politician from Gloucster who's been nominated the President of the convention. He finds himself a bit nervous from the events that are about to proceed so takes a moment to gather himself. As he shuffles through his papers, the room remains painfully silent. Then, after taking a few deep breaths, he begins calling on delegates to share their votes that will determine whether or not Rhode Island will ratify the Constitution. One by one, the delegates stand up to speak for the people in Their towns. Some of the delegates definitely shout “nay” while others like the merchant filled towns of Newport and Providence exclaim “yea”. Throughout the entire process, the convention’s clerk tallies the votes on a sheet of paper but his task is nothing more than a mere formality as every single individual in that room is diligently counting the votes in their heads. Then, when the delegates finish giving their votes everyone looks at each other in astonishment. After years of turmoil, a decision has finally been made. Knowing that what’s done is done, Owen stands up from his chair and shares the results with the crowd. He states how by just a bare majority, with a vote of 34 to 32, the people of Rhode Island have voted in favor of ratifying the Constitution. By the time Owen sits back down, those in favor of ratification erupt in a roaring applause as Rhode Island has finally joined the United States of America. When news of their decision makes its way to the leaders of their nation, they’re happy to know that the ordeal is finally over. They can’t believe just how dedicated the Rhode Islanders have been to standing by their ideals. But when one thinks about the type of people that make up Rhode Island it makes what they’ve done not the least bit surprising. From the very beginning, their colony has consisted of people who made extreme sacrifices to stand by what they believed in. Whether it was Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson and her followers, or the always outspoken Samuel Gorton, the individuals who founded Rhode Island refused to surrender their ideals even though they knew it would push them out into the cold, unforgiving wilderness. But in that wilderness they built something unlike anywhere else in the world and when news of what they built spread throughout the western world, more and more people just like them joined in on their experiment. Then, when future generations of Rhode Islanders watched their mother country attack a set of liberties that they and others throughout America so vehemently cherished, it was the people living around Narragansett bay who were some of the first and most impassioned in protecting those inalienable rights. And it was also a man from Potowomut who refused to let a host of obstacles like quaker parents, a severe limp, or a lack of military experience keep him from going to war to defend those liberties. So when those same people were told to simply set aside their beliefs and just accept the fact that they were now part of a new government they didn’t completely agree with, you better believe that they put up a fight. For them to do anything but that would’ve been completely out of the ordinary. But thankfully, after years of scratching and clawing, the people of Rhode Island have come to the conclusion that although not a seamless fit, their ideals do align with their fellow Americans. Such a thought is confirmed when the United States government passes the Bill of Rights, a series of 10 amendments that guarantees all Americans a core set of liberties, the very first being the right of religious freedom. So although it wasn’t pretty, Rhode Island has finally found its place in the United States of America. And it’s a good thing they have because they’re about to help ignite a brand new Revolution of industrialization that will help their nation become more independent and economically successful than ever before. In just a few months, a man living in Pawtucket named Samuel Slater will finish creating the nation's first ever water-powered mill. His achievement gives us a glimpse of how much life will change for Rhode Island as it moves into the 19th century. Manufacturing will overtake seaborne trade as the state’s primary economic force, Newport will watch Providence become Rhode Island’s new metropolis, and so many of the towns that were once filled with farmers will become dominated by mill workers. But as is to be expected, with these changes will also come turbulence. As a new crop of people move to the towns around Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island’s once radically democratic government will no longer adequately represent the people and their society will once again be put in a state of rebellion. The place we've come to know so well over the past century and a half is about to be flipped on its head, it’s about to become something the Narragansett Planters of South County or the seafaring merchants of Newport would never recognize. It’ll be a society filled with manufacturing, mill workers, and as always a fiery group of individuals who fight for what they believe in. But that’s a story for next time, on Season 3 of The Story of Rhode Island Podcast.