Rhode Island Wants To Change Its Name
The people who live on Rhode Island don’t care. (ON Rhode Island? Isn’t that supposed to be IN Rhode Island?). No; the people in Rhode Island want to change the name, but not the people on Rhode Island.
Rhode Island isn’t Rhode Island, but it’s part of it. Or, to be more exact, Rhode Island, an island whose largest city is Newport, is part of “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”
Plantations? Bales of cotton? The showboat comin’ up Naragansett Bay? One side says it brings up images of slavery; the other says it’s not necessary, given Rhody’s tradition of tolerance.
On Thursday, the vote was 70-3 to change the name to “State of Rhode Island.” You probably never knew, and also think Ohio became a state in 1803. Fools.
Ohio became a state in 1953, despite what the history books say. Forget that 1803 hooey; someone back then forgot to file the papers with the good folks in Washington and, not only that, but they were mislaid and, eventually, forgotten.
But! To the rescue! Some practical people raised their heads and came up with a plan: Let’s pretend it was done all proper and right in 1803. Ohio acted like a state, so we’ll just stick some papers in a file and that’s it.
Rhode Island isn’t Rhode Island, but it’s part of it. Or, to be more exact, Rhode Island, an island whose largest city is Newport, is part of “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”
Plantations? Bales of cotton? The showboat comin’ up Naragansett Bay? One side says it brings up images of slavery; the other says it’s not necessary, given Rhody’s tradition of tolerance.
On Thursday, the vote was 70-3 to change the name to “State of Rhode Island.” You probably never knew, and also think Ohio became a state in 1803. Fools.
Ohio became a state in 1953, despite what the history books say. Forget that 1803 hooey; someone back then forgot to file the papers with the good folks in Washington and, not only that, but they were mislaid and, eventually, forgotten.
But! To the rescue! Some practical people raised their heads and came up with a plan: Let’s pretend it was done all proper and right in 1803. Ohio acted like a state, so we’ll just stick some papers in a file and that’s it.
posted by Tom Carten at 1:31 AM
4 Comments:
On Thursday, the vote was 70-3 to change the name to “State of Rhode Island.”
To be precise about it, the vote was not to change the name. The vote Thursday was to put the question to a state-wide referendum at the next election.
I've always thought it was kind of neat that the smallest state has the longest name.
Ahm sorry 'bout that, ma'am. Ah, while yo' up, fetch me a mint julep, would you? Mahty obliged.
Amm gonna miss them old Rhode Island Plantations.
The "Plantations" part of the state's name refers to the towns that were established when the colony was founded.
It has/had nothing to do with slavery.
Cancel the order for the mint julep.
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