Plantation Schmantation

rappers

Stick with History

boy oh boy…you rappers are all over the move to drop Plantation from the name of the Ocean State.  don’t think a one of you like the proposal.  so here are your responses…all but one i thought a little too racist…though some of these others i’m a bit uncomfortable with as well…it’s what’s out there.

I think “Plantations” should stay as part of our state’s name as it represents a part of our history and gives R.I. the unique distinction of being the smallest state with the longest name.
Aside from trivial facts such as that, I am sick and tired of people feeling the need to re-write history to somehow make it “politically correct”.  Look at Brown wanting to celebrate the Fall Holiday rather than Columbus Day because of his treatment of Native Americans.
History, good, bad, or indifferent, is just that - HISTORY - and should not be manipulated so that someone can feel more comfortable, in my opinion.
Mary Beth
Swansea
I dont think the state should have its name changed, it gives us the honor of having the smallest state with the longest name.
*~Kirby ~*
no no no!
john
i think my location says it all

angry, from lincoln, rhode island and providence plantations.
Absolutely not.
What next? Eliminate the word ‘ship’, since they were used to transport slaves to America?

BT
Warwick
Why after all these years are people now getting sensitive about a phrase that could have multiple meanings. I say leave the way it is.
Lee L. Woonsocket
Everyone needs to get over themselves already!!! The legislature actually has a bill to change the name of the state when the state is in such disarray??? We don’t have a balanced budget, cities and towns are losing funding, and unemployment in the state is the 3rd highest in the country. Why are we doing anything to create more jobs in the state? That’s what we all need to be worried about not changing the name so we can appease all the politically correct people. Give me a break. I have never connected slavery with our name and have never given it a second thought. Let’s deal with the real problems this state is facing and move on.

Carreg25
To drop “and Providence Plantations” from the official state name is silly, and creates an issue around the naming of our state not based on fact. Fictionalizing an issue regarding our state’s name and slavery diminishes the real history of our state’s involvement in the slave trade and is a cheap attempt at public relations that should be rebuked. Anyone who wants to pat themselves on the back around such a intellectually lame proposition should choose to pick their battles more thoughtfully.  What’s next? We’re not an island.  Maybe we should call ourselves Rhode…or simply Bob.
Nila
ABSOLUTELY NOT, Rhode Island should NOT change it’s name.
We have alway’s been the smallest State with the Largest or Longest Name and it has been the OFFICIAL name of Rhode Island since Rhode Island became a state.
I for one am proud of our Name.
As you can see, I have mentioned the name 3 times and never once mentioned “And Providence Plantations”  however I do know that is OUR OFFICIAL NAME.
The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,
Do NOT change it.
Thank You.
Don from Johnston.
What in heaven’s name is wrong with the IDIOTS in the General Assembly?? Unemployment, bankruptcies, foreclosures, unrealistically high taxes, and our elected MORONS are more worried about changing the State’s name?  How about “The State of Rhode Island and Clueless General Assembly”?  Sounds better to me!

Bill
Cranston
Our state’s name has been in place from the beginning. If you don’t like the name…........ move !!!  I don’t like Alabama.. That’s why I live here !!
Shill, Pawtucket,State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

If legislators vote to drop the word “Plantations” from the state’s official name because for some people it conjurs up visions of slavery, how about changing the name of Brown University which is named after a documented slave trader, John Brown.
Maria, Cranston, RI.

If the people concerned about the word Plantations being part of the State’s offical name, they should look up the diffenition of the word !  With the financial state of the State, what would be the cost to the tax payers. Are those complaining, tax payer’s?
Proud to live in THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATION

Absolutely ridiculous!!!!  We have legal indoor prostitution,  the Carulo Act,  Unfair Blue Cross rates for the uninsured , but lets not correct the sins of the pass - lets spend time on something dumb
John

Change our State name? Are you kidding me? This state is in such a mess, both financially and managerially, and THIS is what our legislators are spending their time on! This explains it now. We are being run by morons! This state does have very many farms, maybe one day they were Plantations, SO WHAT!!!
Move on to better things please and earn your money!!!!!
Larry S, Cumberland

It’s obvious that the legislature is a total waste if this is what they spend their last days debating. Plantations originally meant “colony” and had nothing to do with slavery in this region. Why not eliminate “Rhode Island” entirely while we’re at it, since no one seems to know which island it refers to.
Barry N, Warwick

Absolutely, NOT—-all these years we’ve been State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and all of a sudden
they don’t like the name and want to change it. How about we change Rhode Island because we’re not really an island.
It is what it is. With all the turmoil this state is in and they are worried about a name. They should put their energy into bigger and better things.
Karen

As a long time Rhode islander I am greatly opposed to any change in the name of the state.  Leave alone those things that are part of our history.  Let us learn from the name what R I is all about. We had plantations. Some were in what is now downcity Providence. They were the source of the food for the neighborhood.  Leave the name alone!
Len

The caucus of state legislators and citizens who annually introduce legislation to change the name of our beloved state by dropping the words Providence Plantations from its official name, exhibit their extreme ignorance of the origins of the name.
In 1636, long before a slave-worked plantation existed in North America, Roger Williams founded the Colony of Providence Plantation. He so named his colony on the basis of agriculture being its principle source of livelihood.  In Williams’ time, the only meaning of the word plantation was an area of land on which trees or crops are planted.
In 1637, Anne Hutchinson and her husband William Coddington purchased land on Aquidneck Island (Rhode Island) from the Narragansetts. Hutchinson and her followers settled in Pocasset, now known as Portsmouth. Shortly after, other refugees from Plymouth Colony settled what is now Middletown and Newport. These three villages formed a loose alliance; however, in 1643 they tightened ranks seeking recognition from the English Crown to become a full fledged English colony.
England’s King Charles II, acting on Williams’ and Coddington’s promise of religious freedom within the province of the colony, granted the request in 1663, granting the conjoined settlements the title, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and an elected governor and legislature.
Bristol Rep. Doug Gablinske says he supports the name change legislation. He says he is proud to represent the Town of Bristol, but not proud of Bristol’s roll in the slave trade.
Salem had its witch trials, and Rhode Island was involved in the triangle trade. Our history, the good and the nefarious is part of the colorful fabric that makes Rhode Island the unique place that it is.
Clearly, from her rhetoric, it is obvious that Rep. Diaz is not a RhodeIsland native and does not know, understand, or care aboutthe state’s history.Changing the state’s name will not change its history. I suggest that residents, like Rep Diaz and her ilk who are offended by the name of this state, move to a state whose name they approve.
  DRDIX, Bristol

As a long time Rhode islander I am greatly opposed to any change in the name of the state.  Leave alone those things that are part of our history.  Let us learn from the name what R I is all about. We had plantations. Some were in what is now downcity Providence. They were the source of the food for the neighborhood.  Leave the name alone!
Len, Cumberland

and may I also add——The state is in such debt, we have no money, could you just imagine the cost to take Plantation out——they would have to have all the state’s stationary reprinted what a waste of taxpayers money. All this because they don’t like the name Plantation.When I hear the word Plantation—-I think of farming, land—you know like Plymouth Plantation. Just because some people interpret it differently, what we should change it. NO—NOT NOW, NOT EVER!
Karen

When are you people who juxtapositions every single word and turn it upside down or misinterpret the original meaning going to WAKE UP?!  Just because some Representative “thinks” that the meaning of Plantations has “negative connotations” on this state does NOT mean that it is so!  As you did say, it does have 2 meanings – one as a ‘large farm”, the other about “trade”….so who’s to determine its meaning?  Why argue the point in the first place?  Why spend Taxpayer money in the second place?  Why take unneeded Taxpayer TIME making this an issue on State House floor votes in the third place?!!  Look at what the State House would have to “change” the markings on the floor, the State House Seal, all the other letterings, official State House mailings and, the State Flag?!  How much is THAT going to cost US taxpayers now?  Is this State INSANE?  Gees!  Leave it alone!  The only people who are upset about it are the ones who have not lived in this state long enough and they’re only deriving that issue because of who’s in the White House!  Leave it alone!  Go ask an outsider, let’s say, from California, if we should change the name of our state?  You know what they would be saying right now?  “Who the hell cares and where did ‘Plantations’ come from?”  Does it make any more sense to you now?  Get a life!
C-Ann-C, Coventry

Our founding fathers saw fit to name this State and the name should remain untouched forever. Why is it that these people find the word plantation offensive. Will the next move be to remove the word plantation from the dictionary or from the English language altogether. This state helped more slaves than it hurt and that should be enough. The name should remain The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation and the people who agree with me should take the time to lobby for it like those who oppose the name as it is. We need to start standing up for what we believe and work for it because others who do get what they want, and it usually ends up costing the rest of us. Lets stand up and fight for what we believe.
Al From Johnston

Dropping Plantation from the official title would only cost money we don’t have to spend; clealy there are more pressing issues to address.
The only name that should be dropped from the state is/are the names of whom got us into this economic mess.
Frank C., Pawtucket

I’m tired of people who worry about things that happened over a hundred years ago. Try to make some ction on things that really matter. LIke the dog racing, they preserve 225 jobs but could cost the state millions of dollars.People lose jobs get over it .
Twinmakers
NO. 
With all the issues and REAL problems in this state the idiots on the Hill are really pushing it.
When this State was named as a Colony, Plantation meant FARM,  I do not believe the slave trade had even started in this state.
Mr Almedia and his buddies on the hill really have to start paying attention to the Unemployment figures, foreclosures, jump in crime rates, the fact that their smoke and mirrors budget is gonna come back to bite them OH I mean we the people in the A#$ because they are using money we do not have to close the black hole.  Look what just happened in mass with the powerball money being included when the state had been turned down for membership in that little club.
So, NO, and for pete’s sake spend out money in a better way.
But, what do you expect look what happened in DC yesterday that was way over the top the Dems and white house ought to be real proud of themshelves.
Judith, Coventry

Absolutely not!!  Who in the world dreams up these idiotic ideas?  And can you imagine the cost (to the taxpayer) for changing all the official state seals that bear the words “Providence Plantations”.  I want that job.
Enjoy your commentaries.
Bob A, East Providence

If we’re going to change the state name, why not “Massachusetts and Providence Plantations”?  In one stroke of the pen we’d eliminate the corrupt and inefficient RI state government and its high costs.  Joining MA would allow lower taxes and would make us attractive to companies that pay high wages and salaries.
Mark P, Westerly

If we are to change our state’s name because of slavery’s connotation, then we must also change the name of Brown University because its founder, John Brown, amassed much of his fortune dealing in the slave trade.
Tony D, Coventry

Twelve percent unemployment, businesses closing, local taxes rising, and the politicians waste their time and eventually our money to vote on a name change. I’m sure up until this hit the airwaves a majority of Rhode Islanders didn’t even know the full name of the state.
There are more important things to worry about than this.
Steve, East Greenwich

As a descendant of Roger Williams I’m outraged at the craziness of this bill.  The word plantations has nothing to do with slavery in this case, as a matter of fact Roger Williams was against slavery.  Who’s the politian that authored this?, maybe he/she should study history and learn something.  If he/she are that ignorant about the history of the state, then it’s time to retire of leave.
Steve M, Warwick

This is More than ridiculous!
It is an uninformed emotional response to a historical term that no one left alive in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ever inhabited.
It is geared to keep a population from becoming educated by a few (Almedia) unjustly offended individuals.
These individuals place themselves above all else as arbiters of history elevating their personally uninformed cretinous values above the illiterate masses (their opinion of those they presume to protect) they would purport to speak for.
Warren from Foster.

I have lived most of my life in R.I. and never once thought “Plantations” had a negative connotation. If we were to change our name ,then let it be solely for the logistics of it’s long name. If not ,then we can be opening up a whole new can of worms. Should New York and New Hampshire change their names because it brings back memories of our colonial days? That could be offensive to some. Or how do our Native Americans?  We killed them,stole their land and then stole their tribal names to name our states.Maybe we should start with the Dakotas’.In the end lets just leave things as they are.
Lois, Wakefield

We don’t have a whole lot to be proud of, and we are the smallest state. But we are famous for having the longest name. Let’s keep it! I grew up in the West Indies with fruit plantations all about. Everyone called them plantations and we did not associate that name with slavery.
James

We really need to understand and remember our history and why our state was named The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  I have never once in my lifetime associated our state name with slavery!  I think of farming, not slaves!!!  In our attempts to be politically correct and not offend anyone, we are erasing our heritage and changing our history to please others.  Perhaps this is once again an attempt to erase God and religion from our culture.  Roger Williams named our state because Providence means “the foreseeing care and guidance of God or nature over the creatures of the earth”.  He believed that God was responsible for providing this safe new land for him and his followers to settle and the land would provide the means to live by farming the land. The name was not intended to have anything to do with slavery.  I am proud to live in our little state with the biggest name and I am totally against changing our state name to please the few who take offense. Get over it people, you were not even around when the plantations had slaves, how can it offend you?  It didn’t offend the slaves who were free to live in our state for all the years after slavery was abolished!
~Deb

In response to this “burning issue” I would like to ask if this is the worst thing going on in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations that the public and General Assembly should concern themselves with?  If this is the worst thing you have to complain about…then I would say you have a pretty decent life and you are wasting precious time looking for the next problem as opposed to doing the real hard work of solving today’s problems.  If people are getting so fired up out there over this then apparently I have been asleep while the problems of school funding & quality, unemployment, and homelesslness have been solved. 
It’s a shame that the folks who think this is such a crime don’t hold their Senators, Representatives, School Committees, and Town Councils accountable for the horrible educations our children are “offered”.  Recently a study annoucnced that over 75% of teachers taking the certification exam in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts failed the math portion.  Officials were shocked!  Some demanded an investigation!  We must get to the bottom of this!  I can remember hearing from the mid 1980’s on (and I am only 33 years-old) that this country is lagging behind the rest of the developed world in the fields of math and science.  Why was this such a surprise?  If the word “plantation” will really change the world for the better for all of us, then by all means, remove it.  However I fail to see how the addition and/or removal of a single word that most people never knew was there in the first place, will immediately improve the quality of my children’s education.  I realize that such mundane things like education and jobs might not get the weekend activist all the press and attention that the purposefully driven racial one will, but won’t we all be better off in a world where we might not get our 15 minutes of fame, but where our children will always be assured of receiving the best education available to them?  How about that…I have solved racial inequality with the promise of a good education.  Too bad I won’t get any press or my 15 minutes of fame for it.  You’re welcome.
Sincerely,
Wake up In R.I.

NO !!!!!  The word plantation is an olde time word meaning FARM and this relates Rhode Island’s roots as a farming state.  To the special interests advocating the removal of the word “PLANTATIONS”
may I suggest that they pick up some history books and learn a little about the country and state they are so fond of finding fault with.
Joe T East Providence

I think “Plantations” should stay as part of our state’s name as it represents a part of our history and gives R.I. the unique distinction of being the smallest state with the longest name.
Aside from trivial facts such as that, I am sick and tired of people feeling the need to re-write history to somehow make it “politically correct”.  Look at Brown wanting to celebrate the Fall Holiday rather than Columbus Day because of his treatment of Native Americans.
History, good, bad, or indifferent, is just that - HISTORY - and should not be manipulated so that someone can feel more comfortable, in my opinion.
Mary Beth, Swansea

Here are my comments on whether or not Rhode Island should change its name:
“It’s been the states name for 219 years, suck it up and deal with it”
-Matt

I’m a new “rapper”, my hand forced by such a silly question.  Who really cares!  Honestly have you seen anyone wandering aimlessly on Rt. 95 or heard of any airport ticket agent baffled for lack of the official RI state name?  Let’s move on to the good stuff like noise pollution from motorcycles or the lack of common sense in our youth today.  Now that’s something to be concerned about.
Sandy

We’ll change our name for being insensitive when Indiana changes their name.
Bill in Portsmouth

The title of Plantation in the RI State name is totally appropriate.

It fits the definition of a Plantation. The “big house” is where the Master

and his friends benefit from the work of others that don’t make a living wage.

Any attempt to change the system, or bring in any new business to the Plantation
is shot down and called “no good” by the Master and his friends.

The people are kept in the dark, meetings at the big house are not open to the public.

People can’t leave the Plantation since they can’t afford a car. All money goes to rent.

People accept this system as a “way of life” in RI. Just like a Plantation.
Stuckinri

As lawmakers protect the oligarchy; the inflators of bubbles and profiteers in busts, and pass laws that allow the passing of risk on to the working poor, and their savings and retirements; does it matter what name we give to the parasitic nature of the kleptocracy ?
Zuke

With all the serious problems this state has, one has to wonder why the General Assembly is floating this foolish red herring. Is it because they’re trying to hide the fact that they are incompetent, orbecause they’re hoping this will make voters forget that they are ones who got us into this mess? Either way, the name change is ridiculous,for historical reasons. Besides, if Rhode Islanders are silly enough to vote for the name change, it will probably require an amendment to the Constitution to make it legal. Good luck finding 36 states that think this is worth their time.
Bill G, Cranston