Online Review of Rhode Island History

For all that has been written about Newport and Aquidneck Island during the Revolutionary War — three years under British and German occupation, war’s first major joint Franco-American operation, the largest battle in New England, and a French army encamped for a winter, the— the mainland towns just across the water have received far less attention. Steven Lubar’s new book, <...

A few years ago, my wife, Margaret, and I were visiting the wonderful WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle, Australia (“WA” stands for Western Australia). Suddenly, I was standing before the actual Australia II yacht, the surprise victor at the America’s Cup in Newport in 1983. There were also several exhibits, including videos. In a video clip, an Australia II t...

The Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA) has released a new documentary film on the Battle of Rhode Island, fought on August 29, 1778. It was the largest engagement fought in the state—and it New England—during the Revolutionary War. The film has already found a wide audience, drawing over 30,000 YouTube views and 350 in-person viewers in the month since its release.

Recently there has been new scholarship focusing on the enslavement of Indians in Rhode Island as well as the rest of southern New England in colonial times. This has been a welcome and exciting development. But as frequently happens with history, many people exaggerate the impact of a new development. It appears that many students of Rhode Island history believe that the ens...