Red
Well-Known Member
Well, because I love my home, I'll defend it just a bit.
I assume you're pointing out that my world, RI, is a bastion of liberalism. Well, it is the densely populated Northeast, and liberalism does thrive more in urban America, much more so then rural America.
Despite being the 2nd most densely populated state, we are still mostly forested, and in Narragansett Bay, we have one of the most beautiful estuaries on the East coast, and beautiful Atlantic beaches.
We have been fiercely independent throughout our history. The first colony to declare independence from Great Britain, on May 4th, 1776. A fact that might please someone who is so anti-Anglophile.
We were the last of the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution. Rhode Islanders preferred to remain an independent nation. We were dragged kicking and screaming into the new nation, our merchant class threatened with crippling tariffs by the other 12 if we continued to refuse to join the rest.
We had our dark history as well. Newport and Bristol were the 2 biggest slave trading ports in the Western Hemisphere, with Newport being one center of the infamous triangular trade. The DeWolf family of Bristol the largest slave trading family in America. One brother of the Brown family was a leading slave trader, another Brown a leading early abolishonist. In recent years, Brown University has had to face its past, as it was founded by the slave trading Brown brother.
My family has not been here all that long. Except for one grandmother from Lithuania, all my direct ancestors came to RI during the Irish potato famine of the 1840's. Interestingly, in view of the nationalistic nativism on the rise under Trump, the 1850's saw the rise of the Nativist party in the United States, one of the strongest third party movements in our history. Their platform: keep the Irish and keep Roman Catholics out of America. "Irish need not apply" were signs that appeared in shop and factory windows throughout the Northeast. One of my Irish ancestors fought and died in the War between the States, likely because it was a paying job at least.
My birth city of Providence is a beautiful little city. If folks visit at the right time, they can take in Providence Waterfire, which, since it's inception in the early 90's has since become one of the most famous art installations in the entire world, and has been exported to other cities, including Waterfire Roma in 2012:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wjpnXLDe8ro
In truth, I could easily work for, and be an enthusiastic member of, the Rhode Island Tourism Council. I do love my home state and home city very much.
I traveled through southern Utah once, decades ago, visited all 5 of your national parks, and hope to visit again before I die and show my wife the most beautiful state anywhere, IMHO. But, that said, Red is very proud of his world. If RI voted to secede, I do believe I would support my state. So, all this in defense of my home. Off topic, yes, but it's a great place to live, IMHO....
