topic Re: Rhode Island in Community Chat

Rhode Island

grandma2pkmh — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:17:28 GMT

Be honest...How many of you knew the full name for Rhode Island was: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Of course citizens of the state know that but I'm 73 and have never heard of it even being mentioned. It just surprised me.

Re: Rhode Island

nana59 — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:31:52 GMT

i am a native rhode islander....so, yes, i knew.....

Re: Rhode Island

jannabelle1 — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:36:13 GMT

I'm curious...what is the significance or history of Providence Plantation that it would be part of the name of the state?

Re: Rhode Island

grandma2pkmh — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:41:16 GMT

@jannabelle1 I'm sure you can guess or if not, please look it up. I don't want this thread to turn bad and be poofed by the mods.

Re: Rhode Island

Goldengate8361 — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:50:19 GMT

thats so silly of rhode island! they should make the shorter name , Rhode Island, official.

Re: Rhode Island

grandma2pkmh — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 23:56:00 GMT

@Goldengate8361 They are working on that. Will probably pass this year.

Re: Rhode Island

Silver Lining — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 01:15:41 GMT

My son's father was born and raised in Rhode Island. In fact, all of my son's paternal relatives live there. I have never heard any racist conversation or intent.

Re: Rhode Island

jannabelle1 — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 01:29:59 GMT

@grandma2pkmh, I meant no offense to anyone....my question wasn't meant that way at all. I asked since it was brought up in the post. So why even mention it in the first place? SMH.

Re: Rhode Island

lkat — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 01:35:16 GMT

I live in southeastern MA and used to work in Providence and still to go there regularly (pre Covid). I did know that was the official name even though I've never heard it used much. Glad they are finally going to change it officially.

Re: Rhode Island

aroc3435 — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 01:45:21 GMT

@grandma2pkmh I know the full name because I attended college and then married, lived and worked there--total years about eleven. Both my now adult daughter and son were born there. The Ocean State is small but mighty in its beauty.

Bit of trivia from my memory, didn't look it up: Newport was the official state capitol in the summer for many years and Providence for the other, cooler seasons. I think it was the only state that had dual, coexisting capitols. At some point the city of Providence won out and became the sole capitol.

aroc3435

Re: Rhode Island

Sheila P-Burg — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 02:29:41 GMT

I can understand people not knowing that about Rhode Island.

What I find baffling is the people in this country that don't know West Virginia is a state. Used to live in the beautiful wonderful state of West Virginia (yes West Virginia has half my heart, Pennsylvania the other half) and when we would travel to various parts of the country people would ask where we were from. We said West Virginia and the response back most of the time was Western Virginia. And no they were not kidding. They actually did not know West Virginia was separate from Virgina.

So yes I can fully understand people not knowing that about Rhode Island.

Ask them the capital of Pennsylvania and see how many say Philadelphia.

Re: Rhode Island

Lindsays Grandma — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 03:17:06 GMT

I was born and raised in New York, spent summers on Long Island from the age of six until my thirties, never heard the state called anything but Rhode Island.

I had relatives who lived in Rhode Island, they never referred to it as anything but Rhode Island.

Re: Rhode Island

songbird — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:49:28 GMT

There are a lot of strange and sometimes offense (to some people) official names of places all over the world. The official name of Ireland is the The Theocracy of Ireland. They have never officially changed the name long after they stopped being a theocracy and became a democracy.

Re: Rhode Island

LindaSal — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:08:13 GMT

Born and bred Rhode Islander here.....I believe it just had something to do with the colony formed by Roger Williams in the 17th century here. It is supposed to be on the ballet in November. It's hardly ever used anyway and has nothing really to do with "other topics". Though I can see how it may be taken that way. Funny enough, we're not an island either!!! LOL

Re: Rhode Island

happycat — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:18:36 GMT

@grandma2pkmh wrote:
Be honest...How many of you knew the full name for Rhode Island was: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Of course citizens of the state know that but I'm 73 and have never heard of it even being mentioned. It just surprised me.

I had no idea.

Re: Rhode Island

songbird — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:50:21 GMT

@happycat wrote:
@grandma2pkmh wrote:
Be honest...How many of you knew the full name for Rhode Island was: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Of course citizens of the state know that but I'm 73 and have never heard of it even being mentioned. It just surprised me.

I had no idea.

I did. I found out the name during a Geography class (they no longer teach that I've heard) Later on, met a professor at school who teaches a university there. He told me I was the first person he met that new the official name

Re: Rhode Island

mom2four0418 — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:23:12 GMT

@songbird wrote:
@happycat wrote:
@grandma2pkmh wrote:
Be honest...How many of you knew the full name for Rhode Island was: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Of course citizens of the state know that but I'm 73 and have never heard of it even being mentioned. It just surprised me.

I had no idea.
I did. I found out the name during a Geography class (they no longer teach that I've heard) Later on, met a professor at school who teaches a university there. He told me I was the first person he met that new the official name

They teach it in my public schools.

Re: Rhode Island

Silver Fox1 — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:35:44 GMT

@mom2four0418 wrote:
@songbird wrote:
@happycat wrote:
@grandma2pkmh wrote:
Be honest...How many of you knew the full name for Rhode Island was: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Of course citizens of the state know that but I'm 73 and have never heard of it even being mentioned. It just surprised me.

I had no idea.
I did. I found out the name during a Geography class (they no longer teach that I've heard) Later on, met a professor at school who teaches a university there. He told me I was the first person he met that new the official name

They teach it in my public schools.

@mom2four0418 I know they used to teach it in public schools but now not so sure ?

Re: Rhode Island

wildcat fan — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:42:24 GMT

I remember learning about Rhode Island as a colony and then as a state in school, but don't recall any mention of its full name. I've never been there, but the pictures make it look like it would be a good place to visit/vacation some day.

Re: Rhode Island

stevieb — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 17:08:41 GMT

@Goldengate8361 wrote:
thats so silly of rhode island! they should make the shorter name , Rhode Island, official.

No doubt they will, given the current climate... Each to their own but it seems sort of ridiculous after all these years...

As for folks possibly taking offense, there will always be some who take offense to virtually anything. Personally, I'm not in favor of making gratuitous changes for reasons of questionable validity...