Roger Williams (probably not related to John) founded the first permanent white settlement in Rhode Island at Providence in 1636 on land purchased from the Narragansett Indians.
Rhode Island was the last of the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution, demanding that the Bill of Rights be added.
In 1790, Samuel Slater's mill in Pawtucket became America's first successful water-powered cotton mill. From this success, the Industrial Revolution in America began.
|