Rhode Island voters will decide on Election Day whether or not to remove the phrase “Providence Plantations” from the state’s official name. Advocates renewed a push for a constitutional amendment to change “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” to simply “Rhode Island,” saying ... and had nothing to do with slavery. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Monday to change what appears on government documents, and the state’s legislature is moving forward with a bill to … 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.” Portrait of Moses Brown by Martin Johnson Heade. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Monday that could change the state's official name to exclude a portion that has ties to slavery. (AP Photo/Matt O'Brien, File) So the Providence Plantations colony anti-slavery, it merged with Rhode Island Colony (Rhode Island being the Island Newport is on), and Newport was the home of the slave trade. This is a problem we must acknowledge we have uniquely as a state; then, naturally, we must respect the descendants of those robbed of their past and culture by eliminating the words “and Providence Plantations” from our official state name. Rhode Island's official name is "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations," and the state may remove that last part, to avoid slavery connotations. Slavery and the Slave Trade in Rhode Island. Successfully ending a campaign that began over 10 years ago, a referendum to remove “Providence Plantations” from the state name of Rhode Island passed on Tuesday with a vote of 52.9 percent approval, according to the Rhode Island Board of Elections.Rhode Island is the first state to change its name without a change of territory, according to the website of Vote Yes on One, an … In my discussions with African-American leaders in recent weeks, they have explained the chilling feeling they have when seeing the word "plantations" on Rhode Island government letters, citations, and checks. Rhode Island played a leading role in the transatlantic slave trade. Not only did Rhode Islanders have slaves—they had more per capita than any other New England state—but they also entered with gusto into the trade. Rhode Island Gov. Just Rhode Island. Gina Raimondo has issued an executive order stripping the word "plantation" — a loaded term associated with slavery — from official state documents and symbols.. Exhibition Home. Anti-Slavery. 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. The state seal, found on government buildings and the state letterhead, includes an anchor, the word "hope" and the phrase "the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" when it declared statehood in 1790. Rhode Island moves to drop the phrase 'Providence Plantations' from its official state name due to connotations of slavery. Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo has signed an executive order announcing the state would move forward with changing its official name due to its ties to American slavery.. 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