1843 - 1845 | Following the murder of wealthy industrialist Amasa Sprague, Irish immigrant John Gordon is unjustly executed for the crime.

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

The Hanging and Redemption of John Gordon: The True Story of Rhode Island's Last Execution by Paul F. Caranci

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

1841 - 1845 | Thomas Wilson Dorr leads a political upheaval aimed at modernizing the state's archaic and extremely undemocratic government.

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Democracy in Decline: Rhode Island's Constitutional Crisis Development 1776 - 1841 by Patrick T. Conley

The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and His 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion by Eric J. Chaput

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

1832 - 1841 | After a decade of attempting to modernize the state's archaic political institutions, the people of Rhode Island come to the conclusion that the only way to achieve their goals is by leveraging more revolutionary tactics—or, as Seth Luther phrases it, they will obtain their rights by any means necessary: "peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must".

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Democracy in Decline: Rhode Island's Constitutional Crisis Development 1776 - 1841 by Patrick T. Conley

The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and His 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion by Eric J. Chaput

Peaceably if we can, Forcibly if we must: Writings by and about Seth Luther by Scott Molloy, Carl Gersuny, and Robert Macieski

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

1808 - 1824 | With the Jefferson Embargo and the War of 1812 causing a significant decline in maritime trade, Rhode Island businessmen look to textile manufacturing as a new source of income

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Samuel Slater and the Origins of the American Textile Industry, 1790 - 1860 by Barbara M. Tucker

The Transformation of Rhode Island, 1790 - 1860 by Peter J. Coleman

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

1796 - 1807 | Samuel Slater creates America's first water-powered cotton spinning mill and America's first factory town, giving Rhode Island the foundations it needs to move into the age of industrialization.

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Samuel Slater and the Origins of the American Textile Industry, 1790 - 1860 by Barbara M. Tucker

The Transformation of Rhode Island, 1790 - 1860 by Peter J. Coleman

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

1789 - 1790 | Only a year after arriving in Rhode Island, Samuel Slater builds the revolutionary machines that will ignite the American Industrial Revolution.

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Samuel Slater and the Origins of the American Textile Industry, 1790 - 1860 by Barbara M. Tucker

The Transformation of Rhode Island, 1790 - 1860 by Peter J. Coleman

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website

Prepare to embark on an exhilarating new season as we delve into the transformative power of industrialization in Rhode Island! Uncover the social and economic changes the state underwent throughout the 19th century and learn about how Rhode Island’s industrialized society helped to keep the Union intact.

Season 3 coming to you Sunday, May 4th!

1683 - 1723 | Throughout the late 17th and early 18th century, Rhode Island pirates contributed heavily to the Golden Age of Piracy and became such a nuisance that they almost got the colony's charter revoked.

My Favorite Books on this Topic:

Black Flag, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates by Eric Jay Dolin

Pirates of Colonial Newport by Gloria Merchant

*Map image from Rhode Island Boundaries by John H Cady.

To learn more about this episode go to The Story of Rhode Island website