A sect of violent Antinomian Calvinists had sprung up in Massa chusetts, who became offensive to the government, and its leaders were sentenced to banishment : they were welcomed by Roger \Williams, and through his influence and that of Sir Heury Vane, who was then residing in Islassachueetts, they obtained from the Nacre gansette the island of Rhode Island; and the colony of Rhode Island was thus founded.
The people of Providence Plantations and Rhode Island, excluded from the Colonial Unice, had no chains. of maintaining a separate salaamm without the powerful protection of the mother country ; and le 1443 Roger Williams was chosen to conduct a mission to Foreland for th. purpose of obtaining a charter. The affairs of the American eolooies were at this time under the control of the Earl of av'srelsk as governor-la-chief, assisted by a council of five peers and twelve C001137000111. Sir Henry Vane was one of these commoners; and chiefly through his influence a charter was granted, dated Much 14, 1614, by which the two colonies were incorporated under the title of Albode Island sad Proridenee Plantations. A new charter was granted by the ministers of Charles IL in 1663, which continued to be the constitntioe of Rhode Island till 1314.
The colony of Rhode Wand took part with the other colonies of North America in the resistance to the attempts of the English goveen meat to impose the Stamp Act of 1765, and the subsequent measures which led to the declaration of independence. But to the federal ousaitutiou she offered a strenuous resistance : Rhode Island was in fact the last of the original colonies to give in her adherence to that assmaarr, having delayed her signature to it till May 1790.
The only subsequent event in the general history of the state was the effort made by a section of the chime in 1810 to subvert by force the constitution of 1663, in order to adopt one of a more democratic form. In 1811 the snfll-age party, as it called itself, rose in arms under one Thomas N. Doer, whom they had elected as governor and general A regular 'suffrage government' was organised at Providence, while the constitutional os legal government was carried on at New poet A convention called by the general assembly framed a new constitution, which was accepted by a majority of the people ; but in oonvequence of the disturbed state of the country it could not be organised. In 1812 Dore failed in an attempt to seize the state amnia, and subsequeetly his forces were defeated at Chepachet and himself captured. The general assembly now appointed another convention for the framing of a constitution which should be accept able to all perils., and after some little delay the suffrage party gave in their &quiescence. A new constitution was accordingly drawn up and adopted, and peace was restored. Doer remained in prison for sous. year., but was eventually released.
(Bancroft, 1114tory of the United States ; Statistical Gazetteer of the tasted States; Lippincott, Xew and Complete Gazetteer ; Seventh the United State ; Marcou, Geological Map of the United States ; A sm triton Almanac, 1855.)