Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to arrive in what is now Rhode Island in 1524 and named the country “Luisa” after Luise of Savoy, mother of French King Francis I. Later, in 1614, the country was renamed. Allegedly it was the Dutchman Adriaen Block who gave it the name “Roodt Eylandt (Red Island)” because of the red soil. Another assumption is that many of the islands in Narragansett Bay reminded Verrazzano of the Aegean and he named the country after the island of Rhodes. At least that’s what it says on the Verrazzano Monument in Providence. Roger Williams, a theologian and linguist, had to flee Massachusetts after being persecuted for his faith. In 1636 he founded “Providence Plantation” and agreed with the settlers there on a constitution based on equality and freedom of belief. In 1647 the Rhode Island colony was united with Providence under one government and freedom of belief was re-established. It was a haven for people persecuted for their beliefs. Baptists, Quakers, Jews and others came there to practice their faith in peace and security. On May 18, 1652, the first law was passed in North America outlawing slavery. Rhode Island was the second of the thirteen colonies to declare independence from Britain after New Hampshire and the last state to ratify the American Constitution. “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” is the state with the longest name and at the same time the smallest state in the USA. The Blackstone River Valley is considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. In Pawtucket, a certain Samuel Slater built the Slater Mill in 1793, a cotton mill powered by water from the Blackstone River. Today the Slater Mill is a museum. There are ghost tours, quilting workshops and many other events. For a time, Rhode Island was a leader in the textile industry. Although it still contributes to the state’s economy today, it no longer has the same economic power as it once did. Today, services are the main industry of the state, especially health and education. Check topschoolsoflaw.com for brief history of the state of Rhode Island.