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On this day – Rhode Island became the 13th State
May 29, 2022
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 29 of May, repeating indefinitely
On May 29, 1790, our 13th state, Rhode Island, was ratified into the United States. Though it was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain, it was the last of the Thirteen Colonies to ratify the Constitution, and the only state to boycott the Constitutional Convention.
Though it is tiny (the smallest state in the Union) Rhode Island has always been very independently-minded – when Roger Williams founded the colony in the 1630s, it was the only colony allowing religious liberty for everyone (including Jews, Quakers, Catholics, and other religious minorities often banned).
Did you know? Rhode Island is home to the oldest continuously operating American library that has remained in its original location. The Redwood Library and Athenaeum in Newport has been welcoming patrons since the mid-1700s.
What’s in a name? Rhode Island’s name is probably derived from “Roodt Eylandt,” the Dutch words for “red island” after the red clay earth along the shoreline.
View of the Artist’s Home, Graycliff, Newport, Rhode Island, William Trost Richards, 1894
