About Russell DeSimone

With every election year there is talk of election fraud.[1] The 2020 elections are no different except that this year’s elections will be held in the midst of the COVID-19 …
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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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The centenary of the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (the so-called Susan B. Anthony amendment) is fast approaching and as such there is renewed interest …
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During the period when slavery was lawful in America, it is claimed that the underground railroad assisted more than 100,000 African-American slaves reach freedom.  (The underground railroad was not a …
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Rhode Island from its earliest days as a colony had a large degree of political freedom. Unlike most other English colonies that had either an appointed royal governor, such as …
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At the dawn of the 19th century, the role of women in Rhode Island politics was non-existent and the idea of extending suffrage to women was virtually inconceivable. Throughout the …
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The last two years, 2017 and 2016, were good ones for the publication of Rhode Island history books. This week, I review some of them. Last week, Christian McBurney …
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The hallmark of a great democracy is that its leaders reflect the composition of the electorate. It has been the case that for each new wave of immigrants the first …
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Lotteries are said to have had their beginnings in Europe. Some say it was in Renaissance Florence with the advent of the game “Lotto” and there is some evidence …
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Book Review: Dark Work, The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island by Christy Clark-Pujara (New York University Press, 2016)

Precious little was ever published in the nineteenth century on …
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