RI may change official state name over slavery

PROVIDENCE R.I. (WPRI) - The smallest state in the country may not have the longest name for long.

The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted 70-3 Thursday in favor of removing the words "Providence Plantations" from the official state name.

The bill now heads to the state Senate and if passed, the decision would then head to voters in November of 2010.

Some believe that the Rhode Island's formal name, "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," brings up images of slavery, while opponents believe that changing the name would unnecessarily rewrite history and ignore the state's tradition of tolerance and religious liberty.

The word "plantations" has a special meaning for State Representative Joseph Almeida of Providence, an African American and sponsor of the bill.

"Slavery comes to mind right off the bat," Almeida said, "Rhode Island was one of the 13 colonies involved in slavery."

Opponents of the name change state that the word "plantations" was used to describe farming settlements, regardless of slavery.

The name "Providence Plantations" dates back to 1636 when Roger Williams, a minister banned from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for unorthodox religious views, settled on the Northern tip of Narragansett Bay. He named this settlement Providence Plantations.

In 1663, King Charles II of England made the name official by granting a royal charter, calling the land "The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."

Rhode Island used the Royal Charter until 1843, when they began using the current, official name "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."

The official title is used in the state's constitution and in the oath for state officers. If passed, the official state name would become "The State of Rhode Island."