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1 a Great Awakening in a Small State Justice Through Historical Reflection 1 A Great Awakening in a Small State Justice through Historical Reflection Eytan H. Goldstein All around us, there is a great awakening ‐‐ a great reckoning of American wrongs and rights. Across the country, from Charlottesville to Portland, ordinary citizens are working hard to recognize past wrongs. America in the 21st century is confronted by the unsettling reality that we remain divided by invisible fences. The Dakota Access Pipeline issue presents an example in which local judges have trampled on Native American requests to reexamine the route of the proposed line. But surely the darkest example of America’s race and identity problem was the June 2015 mass shooting in Charleston. It is all too apparent that, as a nation, we need to confront the hard truths of America’s past in order to move forward from the impasse our republic finds herself in today. Rhode Island, at least so far, has been spared from these horrific circumstances. Yet, we certainly have tensions arising from our state’s proud, but complicated past. As a major combat zone for vicious warfare between early settlers and native inhabitants, Rhode Island witnessed a severe repression of its native peoples. The intensely violent King Philip’s War, which is regrettably all but unknown to locals today, makes a harsh contrast to the much better known “Thanksgiving Story.” (Plimoth Plantation, undated) The war started in June 1675, as the rapidly expanding English colonists of southern New England grew distrustful of their former allies, the Wampanoag. The colonists were “anxious to participate in the Atlantic and Caribbean trade,” and in order to get access to a deep water port, they needed to access Pokanoket land in present day Bristol, RI. Historian John Hall concludes, “Swansea was on the verge of riches. Only King Philip [Metacomet] stood in the way.” (Hall quoted in Schultz and Tougias, 1999, p.21) Some of the atrocities of this war are still remembered, such as the Great 2 Swamp Fight that witnessed the complete extermination of a sizable native village. (Schultz and Tougias, 1999, p.265) After the leaders of the local native tribes were killed or driven away, the power of native peoples in southern New England was forever shattered. With the destruction of the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes, and occupation of their homelands, the growing cities of Providence, Newport and Bristol began to look for ways to increase their prosperity. Rhode Island developed a mixed system of indentured servitude, as well as direct slavery of both Native Americans and Africans. A 1652 statute actually tried to limit slavery to a period of 10 years per person (Brown University, 2007, p. 9). However, Rhode Island leapt into the Triangle Trade headfirst. Around 1750, nearly a century after the first abolitionist statute in the U.S. was passed, Newport and Bristol had taken over as the leading slave trading centers in North America. Moreover, Rhode Island had the highest percentage of slaves out of all the New England colonies. Thus, despite Rhode Island’s frequent struggles to introduce emancipation legislation, some of which passed, Rhode Island remained mired in a tainted industry throughout the 18th century. In fact, conditions in South County, land once ruled by the Narragansett, was quite favorable to plantation style farming. Thus, southwestern Rhode Island provides a glimpse into the notorious plantation system of the Old South. (McDonough, 2009) To grapple seriously with the injustices above, Rhode Islanders could: 1. Prioritize commemoration sites around the state. Wampanoag leader Metacomet’s main village is today located under Walter Street in Warren, RI. Apparently, a gravel bank was excavated in 1913 that revealed 42 Wampanoag graves (Schultz and Tougias, 1999, p. 236). Now, this site is partly located under a parking lot. The Narragansett Sachem Pumham, who was slaughtered in July 1676, had a fort in present day Warwick. “The remains of the fort … are now covered by brush and an accumulation of trash. … The marker designating the site has been stolen, although its base is still standing.” (Schultz 3 and Tougias, 1999, p. 250) On the slave trade issue, it is impressive that the Middle Passage group has designated Providence, Bristol, Newport and Warren as major slave trading sites, but this is unknown to most Rhode Islanders. According to organizer Valerie Tutson: “… a memorial marker is a way … to honor those who were brought here, and survived.” (Hinman, 2016) Brown University has recently dedicated a solemn memorial, which states that “Rhode Island … launch[ed] over a thousand slaving voyages …” Looking beyond Rhode Island, Bryan Stevenson’s path‐breaking memorial to the victims of lynching shows how historical monuments could have national significance. (Capps, 2017) 2. Integrate this history into the social studies curriculum. Nearly all Rhode Island high schools have well developed history departments, and offer national history, ancient history, and perhaps European history courses. I’m proud to say that at my high school, some classes examine Rhode Island’s role in the slave trade in depth. For example, the case of the Brown brothers and their differing perspectives forms a classic teaching case. Nevertheless, such units are more the exception than the rule, unfortunately. Moreover, a major gap in the curriculum is all too evident with respect to King Philip’s War, which was never mentioned once in my history classes. 3. Build a state history museum that prioritizes disenfranchised groups. The state had actually adopted plans in recent years to renovate an old power plant into a state history museum, (Abbott, 2013) but those plans stalled. Some small museums of note do exist. For example, the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter was awarded in 2016 the National Medal for Museum and Library Service by First Lady Michelle Obama. According to one 4 account: “No one was getting paid back in the day. We were just doing this because we thought it was valuable and important and empowering to the Native community.” (Miller, 2018) Further inspiration could be drawn from Connecticut’s mobile teaching vessel, Amistad, which documents the horrors of the slave trade. If Rhode Island embraces its own history, our state can truly become a leader on this issue. 4. Scholarships should be made available to African‐American and Native American communities in RI. Multiple indicators demonstrate that minority youth from historically disadvantaged groups in RI are more likely to underperform in school, and also, these people are disproportionately affected by poverty. For example, a 2017 report entitled “The State of Black Families in Rhode Island” revealed that only 19 percent of African‐Americans in the state have a college degree compared to 34 percent of whites. (Miller, 2017) Almost half of Rhode Islanders of Native descent are thought to live in poverty. (Miller, 2018) I propose the establishment of a board (comprising stakeholders such as the NAACP and local colleges) that would administer 100 scholarships to disadvantaged minority students in RI. True, the state has moved to make college more affordable recently for all student, and this good of course, but radical change is necessary to confront historical injustices. This proposal recommends Rhode Island embark on its own great historical awakening to confront inequality and poor race relations. Rhode Islanders have so much to be proud of in their history, from heroes like Roger Williams to more recent innovations like off‐shore wind power. But we can do a much better job at reckoning with the past. In doing so, we can once again lead the nation forward. 5 Works Cited Reports Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. 2007. Slavery and Justice Providence: Brown University. Books Schultz, Eric and Michael Tougias. 1999. King Philip’s War: The History and Legacy of America’s Forgotten Conflict. Vermont: Countryman. Newspaper and Magazine Articles Abbott, Elizabeth. “Historic Power Plant in Providence, RI, May Get Another Chance at an Encore.” New York Times, 8 January 2013. Accessed 11 March 2018. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/realestate/commercial/new‐revival‐plans‐for‐ historic‐providence‐ri‐power‐plant.html. Capps, Kristen. “Hanged, Burned, Drowned and Shot” The Atlantic, Nov 2017. Accessed 14 March 2015. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/11/a‐national‐ monument‐to‐america‐s‐known‐victims‐of‐lynching/540663/ McDonough, James. “Slave Trade Was Rhode Island’s ‘Number One Financial Activity.’’’ Jamestown Press, 19 March 2009. Accessed 14 March 2018, http://www.jamestownpress.com/news/2009‐03‐19/front_page/003.html. Miller, Wayne, “Study Finds Deck Stacked against Blacks in Rhode Island.” Providence Journal, 19 May 2017. Accessed 12 March 2018, http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170519/study‐finds‐deck‐stacked‐against‐ blacks‐in‐ri. Miller, Wayne. “Native Strong: Tomaquag Museum Marks 60th Anniversary.” Providence Journal, 5 March 2018. Accessed 7 March 2018, http://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/ODN/ProJoApp/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TPJ %2F2018%2F03%2F05&entity=Ar00101&sk=10CC5C97&mode=text. Thrasher, Steven. “Charlottesville Started with a Statue. Will Americans Confront Their History Now?” The Guardian, 14 August, 2017. Accessed 13 March 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/14/charlottesville‐confederate‐ monuments‐racism‐us‐history. 6 Websites Capatides, Christina. “Portland’s Racist Past Smolders beneath the Surface.” CBS News, 29 October 2017. Accessed 13 March 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/portland‐race‐ against‐the‐past‐white‐supremacy/,. Hinman, Chuck. “Providence Slavery Markers Committee Looking for Public Input,” Rhode Island NPR, 27 June 2016. Accessed on 14 March 2018. http://ripr.org/post/providence‐slavery‐markers‐committee‐looking‐public‐ input#stream/0. Plimoth Plantation. “Thanksgiving History.” Undated. Accessed 13 March 2018, http://www.plimoth.org/learn/MRL/read/thanksgiving‐history, .
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