World War I Monument in Providence
Providence, the third largest city in the
New England region, is the capital of Rhode
Island. It is the center of activity, and as
such it the most densely populated state in
Rhode Island. It has eight hospitals and
seven universities. Providence goes by
several nicknames such as “The Beehive of
Industry”, “The Renaissance City”, and “The
Divine City”. It was one of the first cities
to have been established in the United
States. Providence is located at the mouth
of the Providence River that runs to the
Narragansett Bay.
Roger Williams first settled in Providence
in June 1636. It was one of the renowned
Thirteen Colonies of the United States.
Williams was from the Massachusetts Bay
Colony, and being the religious, although
non-conformist, devotee that he was,
Williams named the land “Providence”, in
honor of “God’s merciful Providence”. He
developed the area as a refuge for his
fellow religious exiles from Massachusetts.
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During the 1770s, the British government
started collecting
taxes in Providence. This
slowed down the agricultural, fishing
and
maritime industries, which were the cores of
Providence’s economy. The taxes were
enforced under laws such as the infamous
Sugar Act.
The Sugar Act disturbed the
operations
of the distilleries, and caused
Providence to band with other
colonies
against the British. Because of the
enforcement of implementation of such trade
laws, the American Revolution
saw its birth
and began with the Gaspee Affair in 1772.
During the Revolutionary War, Providence
evaded foreign colonizers. Newport, which
was a city nearby, was captured
and this
kept the Providence troops alert and ready
for
foreign invasion.
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| After the war, Providence saw shifted its
focus from the maritime industry to the
manufacturing industry. The city saw the
boom of machinery, silverware, tools,
textiles and jewelry. These economic
developments attracted people from Germany,
Ireland, Sweden, Italy, England, Cape Verde,
Portugal and French Canada to migrate to
Providence.
The influx of peoples from
various races caused social conflicts, particularly between
the whites and blacks. To remedy this, the residents of
Providence came out with a city charter in 1831.
Local politics was at a clash during the Civil War over the
issue of slavery. However, after the war, Providence
flourished. More immigrants settled and more land was
incorporated into the city. The population tripled (from
almost sixty thousand to almost one hundred eighty thousand)
in a period of thirty five years, from 1865 to 1900.
In the 1920s many manufacturing industries began shutting
down. The city suffered severely from the Great Depression,
and the downtown portion of Providence experienced the New
England Hurricane of 1938, which left it flooded and in
ruins. Thankfully, the city’s economic standing began
improving again in the 1970s.
Today, monuments and statues representing various times in
Providence’s history may be seen throughout the city, like
the World War I monument.
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