The state takes its name from the eponymous island , though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city. Native Americans lived around Narragansett Bay before English settlers began arriving in the early 17th century.
He founded Providence in on land purchased from local tribes, creating the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government. Rhode Island was the first colony to call for a Continental Congress , in , and the first to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown , on May 4, The state was officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since the colonial era but came to be commonly known as "Rhode Island".
On November 3, , the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Despite its name, most of Rhode Island is on the U. Its official name was State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from its beginning in until , and it is referred to in that manner in the United States Constitution.
It is unclear how the island came to be named Rhode Island , but two historical events may have been influential:. The name was officially applied to the island in with these words: "Aquethneck shall be henceforth called the Isle of Rodes or Rhode-Island. However, as matter of convenience, the state came to be commonly known as simply "Rhode Island". The word plantation in the state's name became a contested issue during the 20th century and the increased awareness of slavery and its role in early Rhode Island history.
The General Assembly voted in to hold a referendum in November on removing "and Providence Plantations" from the official name. Advocates for excising plantation argued that the word symbolized a legacy of disenfranchisement for many Rhode Islanders, as well as the proliferation of slavery in the colonies and in the post-colonial United States. Advocates for retaining the name argued that plantation was simply an archaic synonym for colony and bore no relation to slavery.
