PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The smallest U.S. state has the longest name, and it’s not sitting well with some in the George Floyd era. The law against thefts by slaves in Rhode Island was, again, the severest in New England, carrying a sentence that could be 15 lashes or even banishment from the colony -- a particularly dreaded punishment, as it usually meant deportation and sale to the merciless sugar plantations of … This plantation system flourished until the late 1760s. Rhode Island did play a role in the transatlantic slave trade, launching more than 1,000 voyages to bring slaves from Africa to the U.S., the AP reported. Slaves boiled the cane juice over fires to refine the sugar. It was founded by Roger Williams. Gov. . . This enabled the notorious slave plantations of the West Indies to exclusively grow sugar cane. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the amendment dropping "Providence Plantations" passed with 52.9 percent of the vote. There were slaves on those Plantations… and a lot if not most of them were American Indians. Thanks to this plantation system, the state has the country’s longest official name: the “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” Gina Raimondo (D) on Monday signed an executive order to remove the words “Providence Plantations” from those places. In other words, Rhode Island itself has as much culpability in the history of slavery as Providence Plantations. 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… The state’s official name, “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” has typically appeared on the governor’s executive orders, citations and website. The name "Providence Plantations" comes from the state's founder, Roger Williams. on the last Monday in February, [1784]. The official name of Rhode Island is “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” Voters will have a chance in 2010 to remove the reference to “Providence Plantations” as part of a referendum pushed by advocates who argue that the reference to “plantations” is insensitive to blacks and perpetuates a racist image. Governor Gina … The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. PROVIDENCE — With national attention riveted on matters of racism and inequality, some Rhode Islanders are renewing an attempt to remove the word “plantations” from the state’s official name. Rhode Island will remove the phrase "Providence Plantations" in the state's formal name from some official documents and executive agency websites, Gov. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Monday taking the 'first steps' to change the state's full name: 'The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.' ... the state’s ties to the slave trade are undeniably deep. But the governor jettisoned the latter phrase from state documents, with a vote on it likely to follow. ... At the General Assembly of the Governor and Company of the State of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, begun and holden (by adjournment) at Providence . Rhode Island never had large farms on the scale of slave plantations in the South, but it certainly did have slaves. He owned the property on the ½ acre size lots side of Lancelot. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island voters have approved Question 1 to remove the phrase “and Providence Plantations” from the state’s official name, The Associated Press projects. The ports of Providence and Newport were both major points in the slave trade triangle. But Metts said he … 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 … NPR's Sarah McCammon talks with Harold Metts, Rhode Island State Senator, about renewing the push to remove "Providence Plantations" from the official name of the state. This isn't the first time the state has attempted to change its name: When the state tried in 2010, 78% of voters opposed the removal of "Providence Plantations." Officially, the tiniest state's name remains Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The final blow came with disruptions caused by the American Revolution and the British-Hessian occupation of Newport (1776-79). Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Monday that could change the state's official name to exclude a portion that has ties to slavery. Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it declared statehood in 1790. FILE - This Jan. 21, 2000, file photo shows the seal bearing the official name "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" on the floor of the Statehouse rotunda in Providence, R.I. He sold property on the Lancelot side streets and within the past 20 years, he filled in … Rhode Island Gov. Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it declared statehood in 1790. For one thing, the law, which only applied to Providence and Warwick, banned lifetime ownership of slaves. Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it declared statehood in 1790. Rhode Island voters on Tuesday approved shortening the state’s official name, removing the centuries-old phrase “and Providence Plantations.” ... and pay their respects by removing “Providence Plantations” from its name. Detail “Rhode Island and the rest of the Colonie of Providence Plantations” in the Charter of 1663 by King Charles II. FILE - This Jan. 21, 2000, file photo shows the seal bearing the official name "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" on the floor of the Statehouse rotunda in Providence, R.I. A statewide ballot question in the Nov. 3, 2020, election asks voters whether to shorten the state's official name to drop the plantations reference. Providence Plantations was the first permanent European American settlement in Rhode Island.It was established by a group of colonists led by Roger Williams and Dr. John Clarke who left Massachusetts Bay Colony in order to establish a colony with greater religious freedom. 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