Dominion of Rhode Island: The Judas Colony by u/Alagremm
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was among the earliest British colonies in North America and despite its small size an economic powerhouse in trade and industry. The port cities of Providence and Newport were major centers for Atlantic triangular slave trade in New England and a source of great wealth for the United Kingdom. But the exploitation of Americans by Britain drove Rhode Island to be the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown on May 4, 1776, leading to a military response from the British and hastily assembled Loyalist forces. British forces retook Newport in December 1776 and held it against combined Franco-American force which attempted to drive them off Rhode Island, otherwise known as Aquidneck Island. As the tide of war turned against Britain, Loyalist forces retreated to a few key strongholds- including Aquidneck Island.
By a cruel twist of fate, it was William Franklin, the son of renowned Benjamin Franklin, who became the leader of Loyalist forces and a proud advocate of British rule in the colonies. Despite years of imprisonment by the Yankees and his son joining his grandfather’s side in the revolutionary struggle, William Franklin’s leadership skills and diplomatic ability made him a shining figure among Loyalists and the first governor of Rhode Island appointed after the loss of the American mainland to revolutionary forces. Although William Franklin and his father remained estranged for the rest of their lives, his son William Temple Franklin later joined him in Rhode Island after becoming disillusioned with the factionalism of the newly established United States. Despite its descent from one of the Founding Fathers, the Franklin family remained a major force in Rhode Island’s politics and produced several governors and diplomats who defended the colony’s interests against the nation their ancestor helped create.
The Treaty of Paris signed after the end of the war stipulated an end for military conflict between the United States and United Kingdom by recognizing the independence of the Thirteen Colonies – but failed to recognize the continued division of the colony of Rhode Island, leaving the British-controlled Aquidneck Island a disputed territory. William Franklin, while fiercely loyal to the Crown, managed to secure a degree of autonomy for the colony and engaged in frugal efforts to ensure the security and prosperity of the last remaining shred of New England. With a wealthy port by its side, the State of Providence Plantations and Rhode Island was reluctant to join the United States, with many of the state’s residents interested in maintaining their hard-fought independence from central government – and as it had independent wealth and trade coming through the vibrant port of Providence, it was the only small state that could theoretically survive independent of the proposed federal union in 1787. It was therefore last of the Thirteen Colonies to ratify the United States Constitution in 1790, and only after being confronted with the prospect of the greater financial impositions it would suffer being treated as a foreign country, leaving Rhode Island surrounded by the United States and in great peril. During the War of 1812 Rhode Island found itself expectedly blockaded by the American military but remained impenetrable to enemy forces thanks to the extensive series of military fortifications and the diplomatic talents of the Franklin family. Rhode Islanders bravely prevailed throughout the merciless blockade up until the end of the war and the following Treaty of Ghent, with the reward for their perseverance being the official recognition of Rhode Island as a British territory by the United States – and with territorial dispute finally settled, the name of the neighboring U.S. state was officially changed to the State of Providence.
Despite the recognition by Washington and its advantageous position, Rhode Island’s wealth was hard hit by the abolition of slavery by the British Empire in 1833, three decades before the issue tore its neighbor apart. Although the winds of industrialization reached Rhode Island, it could not match the levels of industrial advancement in Providence or New York, leading to the island’s slow decline – until the Prohibition became law in the United States in 1920. Breweries sprung up on every corner, people sung praise to gin and rum, and kids gathered wide-eyed on the streets to listen to bootleggers’ wild exploits and tall tales; the very name “Rhode Island” became eponymous with contraband spirits, the name uttered with gratitude in countless speakeasies across the great nation. The United States government attempted time and time again to institute harsh measures against Rhode Island but could not declare an embargo due to the inevitable damage it would do to US-British relations. However, Rhode Island’s spirit industry declined just as quickly as it first expanded once the Prohibition was repealed in 1933, smack in the middle of the Great Depression; Rhode Island’s economy sank, leaving Rhode Islanders destitute and the Dominion government utterly insolvent. Along with the Dominion of Newfoundland, Rhode Island gave up self-rule in 1934, submitting to direct rule from London until it could once more reach self-sufficiency.
Relations between Rhode Island and the United States remained tense even after the end of the Prohibition, with some of the legal restrictions remaining up until the Second World War, when the tiny nation became a major element of the Allied supply line and a key foreign post for the Royal Navy. Enormous economic investment from the United States and a spirit of unity made the United States and Rhode Island come closer than they have since the Revolution. After the end of the war, as the status of Rhode Island was once more being discussed by the British government, a popular movement for admission to the United States has won the support of up to half of the population, bolstered by the unprecedented cooperation and fraternity between Rhode Island and the United States. However, despite the idea’s popularity on both sides of the border, popular support for unification quickly fell once it became clear that Rhode Island would not be admitted as a state, but rather be unified with the State of Providence. With public Americanism quickly fizzling out, Rhode Islanders were put before the same choice as the people of Newfoundland – joining Canada or becoming independent. Unlike Newfoundlanders, Rhode Islanders had little in common with Canada, embracing their New English identity and pursuing independence as the Dominion of Rhode Island.
The proud New England banner that once fluttered over British colonies has once more become a symbol for the denizens of Rhode Island in 1965, chosen both for its historical value and due to its matching colors to what soon became Canada’s national flag. Nowadays the proud red banner is widely recognized as a symbol of the Thirteenth Colony – a glimpse of what the United States could have been.
(Let me know If this one and the previous post were already posted)
