Rhode Island
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

One of the original 13 colonies that created the United States, Rhode Island formally became a state in 1790. It remains the smallest state in the Union, forming part of the broader New England region. Algonquian-speaking peoples formerly predominated here, among them the Wampanoag, the Nipmuc, and the Narragansett. The English colonist Roger Williams established a colony here in 1636, declaring it committed to religious liberty, an ideal that later influenced the formation of the American republic. While often facing hostility from neighbouring British colonies, Rhode Island’s commitment to tolerance resulted in many Jews and Quakers settling here. Rhode Island enthusiastically supported the American Revolution, although expressed concerns about centralising tendencies in the new republic and was the last of the 13 colonies to ratify the constitution.