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The “Mustard Seed”:  Providence’s Alfred Niger, Antebellum Black Voting Rights Activist
4 years ago

The “Mustard Seed”: Providence’s Alfred Niger, Antebellum Black Voting Rights Activist

Alfred Niger, a Black voting rights activist from Providence, may have provided the final straw that broke the back of the Dorr Rebellion.  His attempt to vote in an 1841 …
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The Philosopher George Berkeley Visits Rhode Island
4 years ago

The Philosopher George Berkeley Visits Rhode Island

One of the most exciting European visitors to colonial America was the Very Reverend Dr. George Berkeley (1685-1753), who spent most of three years in Rhode Island. The rest of …
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Should They Stay or Should They Go? Rhode Island Black Loyalists after the American Revolution
4 years ago

Should They Stay or Should They Go? Rhode Island Black Loyalists after the American Revolution

Benjamin Quarles once wrote that the loyalty of black Americans during the American Revolution “was not to a place nor to a people, but to a principle, freedom.”[1] In late …
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Rhode Island’s Long Quest for Women’s Suffrage
4 years ago

Rhode Island’s Long Quest for Women’s Suffrage

By  •  Women

This article is derived from a speech intended to be given on Rhode Island Statehood Day, May 29, 2020, in Pawtuxet as part of the Gaspee Days Celebration. This event, …
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Rhode Island Dominates North American Slave Trade in 18th Century
4 years ago

Rhode Island Dominates North American Slave Trade in 18th Century

After a slow beginning in the 17th century, the colony of Rhode Island came to dominate the slave trade in British North America in the 18th century.

Slavery by the …
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Posy Wiggins, Paul Cuffee and Justice
5 years ago

Posy Wiggins, Paul Cuffee and Justice

Posy Wiggins made helped make change happen. I became aware of her at an event at the wonderful Paul Cuffee School in Providence eight years ago when the …
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The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: The Fate of U-853 After Its Sinking; Bodies—and Bones—are Removed; What Happened to Hoffman’s Body?
5 years ago

The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: The Fate of U-853 After Its Sinking; Bodies—and Bones—are Removed; What Happened to Hoffman’s Body?

[This is the last in a series of four articles honoring the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith. This article is mostly from part of a chapter written …
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The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Warships Sink U-853
5 years ago

The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Warships Sink U-853

[This is the third in a series of four articles honoring the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith. This third article is based on part of a chapter …
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The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: Could U-853’s Sinking of Black Point been Averted?
5 years ago

The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: Could U-853’s Sinking of Black Point been Averted?

[This is the second in a series of four articles honoring the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith.  This article is based on part of a chapter written …
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The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: German U-Boat Sinks U.S. Coal Vessel
5 years ago

The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith: German U-Boat Sinks U.S. Coal Vessel

[This is the first in a series of four articles honoring the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Point Judith. This first article is based mostly on part of a …
Read More