• 1636 - Roger Williams, a religious exile from Massachusetts, was the founder of Providence as a Rhode Island settlement.

• 1638 - The Portsmouth compact was signed

• 1643 - Samuel Gorton founded Warwick named in honor of the Earl of Warwick

• 1663 - Charles II granted the royal Charter of Rhode Island

• 1675 - 1677 King Philip's War so named after Metacomet of the Wampanoag tribe, who was called Philip by the English. The war was bloody and bitterly fought by the colonists against the Wampanoags, Narragansetts, Nipmucks, Pocumtucks, and Abenakis. During King Philip's War, up to one third of America's white population was wiped out. This war proved to be the final struggle by the Indians of Rhode Island

• 1775 - 1783 - The American Revolution creates the United States of America. The Revolution was due to the British burden of taxes and total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies

• July 4, 1776 - United States Declaration of Independence

• July 10, 1778 - France declares war against Britain and makes an alliance with the American revolutionary forces

• September 3, 1783 - The Treaty of Paris is signed by the victorious United States and the defeated Great Britain

• For interesting information  refer to Facts about the Rhode Island Colony

Facts about the History of Rhode Island History - The Early 1800's

• 1812 - 1815 - The War of 1812 between U.S. and Great Britain, ended in a stalemate but confirmed America's Independence

Facts about the History of Rhode Island History - The American Civil War

• 1861 - 1865 The American Civil War. In 1859 John Brown raided Harpers Ferry and set in motion events that led directly to the outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president and in 1861 the South Secedes. The initial Secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy.

• 1865 December 6 - The Abolishment of Slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S Constitution is ratified, thus officially abolishing slavery

• 1898-1901 The Spanish American War. On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris the US annexes Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines.

Origin of the name

• Named "Roodt Eylandt" by Adrian Block, the Dutch explorer. The meaning of the name is "red island" referring to the red clay that lined the shore. The name was later changed when the region came under British rule.