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George T. Downing and the Black Convention Movement
1 year ago

George T. Downing and the Black Convention Movement

Fear not; no antagonism of interest would be the result of admitting in common to your workshops the colored mechanic, of admitting his child as an apprentice.

(Appeal to …
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Whale Sinks Whale Ship Commanded by Newport Captain
1 year ago

Whale Sinks Whale Ship Commanded by Newport Captain

Many readers are familiar with Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, in which a great white sperm whale stoves a New Bedford whaling ship. Readers may also be familiar that the …
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Providence Merchant John Brown Gets Rich Privateering in 1776 and 1777
1 year ago

Providence Merchant John Brown Gets Rich Privateering in 1776 and 1777

Throughout the churning tides of 1776 and 1777, John Brown, a prominent merchant from Providence, amassed a fortune by investing in privateers. Through reviewing a comprehensive list of his privateers …
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General Isaac Peace Rodman, Citizen-Soldier and Martyr for the Union Cause
1 year ago

General Isaac Peace Rodman, Citizen-Soldier and Martyr for the Union Cause

At the outbreak of the Civil War, thousands of men flocked to enlist in newly established companies and regiments in the Union Army then organizing in small towns throughout the …
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Banister’s Band of Brothers: Fox Hunting in South Kingstown and Narragansett After the American Revolution
1 year ago

Banister’s Band of Brothers: Fox Hunting in South Kingstown and Narragansett After the American Revolution

We viewed the sea from a high rock…below us of three or four miles extent, a pleasant green meadow, thro’ the middle of which run a pritty winding river. Hamilton …
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New York’s Izzy Einstein Raids Rhode Island Saloons During Prohibition
1 year ago

New York’s Izzy Einstein Raids Rhode Island Saloons During Prohibition

[This article is issued in conjunction with the launch of my new book, Machine Guns in Narragansett Bay: The Coast Guard’s War on Rumrunners (History Press, 2023)]

In September 1922, …
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Book Launch: Machine Guns in Narraganset Bay: The Coast Guard’s War on Rumrunners
1 year ago

Book Launch: Machine Guns in Narraganset Bay: The Coast Guard’s War on Rumrunners

I have a new book out! It is Machine Guns in Narragansett Bay: The Coast Guard’s War Against Rumrunners (History Press, 2023).

Here are three upcoming appearances I will …
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Block Island Rumrunners, Rum Row and a Pirate Ship
1 year ago

Block Island Rumrunners, Rum Row and a Pirate Ship

[Editor’s Note: In early 1923, newspaper readers became enthralled with Gray Ghost, a “pirate prowler” that preyed on the rum supply ships stationed on Rum Row south of Block Island. …
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Did Rhode Island Matter in the American Revolution?
1 year ago

Did Rhode Island Matter in the American Revolution?

We Rhode Islanders pat ourselves on the back a lot, including when it comes to the Revolution. But did the colony (and later state) really matter much in bringing about …
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Book Review:  Revolutionary War Defenses in Rhode Island by John K. Robertson
1 year ago

Book Review: Revolutionary War Defenses in Rhode Island by John K. Robertson

Mention Rhode Island during the American Revolution, and two things come to mind: the 1772 burning of the Gaspee, and the famous 1st Rhode Island Regiment initially composed largely of …
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