Sharing Rhode Island’s Untold History at the Newport Public Library
We’re incredibly fortunate to have the Newport Public Library at the heart of our city – a vibrant and accessible space for learning for all ages and interests. In honor of Juneteenth two weeks ago, the Newport Library staff invited me to speak about the often-overlooked history of Black and Indigenous people in RI, and also discuss why permanently marking the landscape with these stories matters for future generations.
Joining me was Michele Gallagher, Founder of City-by-the-Sea Communications. Together, we aimed to cover nearly 400 years of African American and Indigenous history in Rhode Island—no small feat in just 75 minutes! With every name, event, and era, we highlighted stories of resistance and resilience, ensuring the contributions of our ancestors of color weren’t lost to time.
Charles Roberts co-presenting with Michele Gallagher, Founder of City-by-the-Sea Communications
In the talk, we covered Rhode Island Slave History Medallions (RISHM)’s mission and my quest to understand and share the history of people of color, especially in Rhode Island. I shared some personal stories of why this was important to me, and why I felt the obligation to share this factual storytelling with my community.
Early History and King Philip’s War
Photo: “Despite Roger Williams, Providence Burns Down” – Providence Journal
We opened with 17th-century history—when European settlers, fleeing religious persecution, arrived in what is now Rhode Island. Their arrival deeply impacted the local tribes, particularly the Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Nipmuck peoples. Roger Williams is often credited as a harmonious and progressive founder. We referred to him in the talk as “the Colonies’ First Diplomat.” After a short period of peace, Williams and other colonists ultimately contributed to violent land disputes that led to King Philip’s War (1675–76), one of the bloodiest wars in American history on a per capita basis.
Williams, as a religious man, expressed disapproval of slavery but despite this, he formed a colonial delegation to distribute captured Pequots among the colonists. In 1637, Governor Winthrop gave Williams a Pequot boy as an indentured servant. Williams renamed the boy “Will.”
The Triangular Trade and Economic Ties to Slavery
“Map of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.” Educational illustration of the Triangular Trade. [Source: Library of Congress; public domain].
We revisited the Triangular Trade, which we’ve discussed extensively in this WUN series, and the impact of that economic engine on individual lives, those of both free men and women, as well as the enslaved. A staggering 70% of slave voyages in the 17th and 18th centuries began in Rhode Island.
RISHM has, to date, installed 16 QR-coded bronze and granite markers at many of these sites where slave trading and slave ownership occurred, so people can educate themselves on the real history that happened in each location. We have many more planned, and we continue to receive applications and requests for RISHM to install medallions in various places across Rhode Island.
Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, we shared the real-life stories of individual resistance for several enslaved people, like Pompe Stevens, Charity “Duchess” Quamino, and Newport Gardiner. Their lives reflect both suffering and survival, often against impossible odds.
We also tell these stories as part of the Newport Black History Walking Tours, where visitors can literally walk in the footsteps of these early Newport residents and learn about their lives from trained guides.
The Rocky Road to Revolution
July 2, 1776 was the day the Founding Fathers announced the Colonies’ separation from the Crown, and then the document went through several editing drafts by the Committee of Five before all of them signed it by July 4, 1776. Seventeen signers of this famous document were slave holders (including Thomas Jefferson and John Hancock) and together they held 1400 people in bondage at the same time they signed their names under the words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Black soldiers at the Siege of Yorktown.
Credit: Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger; public domain.
Often omitted from schoolbooks is the story of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, known as “the Black Regiment,” which was formed in 1778. That year, the Rhode Island Assembly decided to enlist enslaved Africans into the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, offering them freedom in return for their service. Nearly 150 African soldiers answered the call, out of a total of 225 soldiers.
The 1st Rhode Island Regiment distinguished itself in battles from the Siege of Boston to the Battle of Rhode Island and ultimately contributed to the American victory at Yorktown. Approximately 5,000-8,000 Africans fought for the Patriots, and an estimated 20,000 joined the British; all seeking their freedom or rights. The British had a significant number of Native American allies, possibly up to 3,000. It is unknown how many Native Americans fought for the Patriot side, due to poor record keeping. Many of these men were simply marked as “colored,” a practice historians refer to as “paper genocide.”
The Long Road to Emancipation
“Gradual emancipation” began in Northern states around the turn of the 19th century. This term refers to a process where enslaved people are freed over time, rather than instantly through legislation. The differences in opinion of how Emancipation should be realized sparked fierce debate among the Abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Wendell Phillips, and ultimately splintered them into feuding factions.
Civil War Service and Heroism
During the Civil War, nearly 180,000 African Americans served in the Union Army. Approx 20,000 African Americans served in the Union Navy. Forty thousand African American soldiers died, mostly due to disease and infection. Their mortality rate was 35% higher than white troops due to lack of medical care.
Among these soldiers was former slave William H. Carney who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (made famous in the 1989 film Glory). Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Fort Wagner. He is considered the first African American to be awarded this honor.
William Harvey Carney ((1840-1908) wearing the Medal of Honor he received in 1900.
Juneteenth
We also reflected on the history of Juneteenth and its importance as America’s Second Independence Day. We touched upon the differences between celebrations in the North and South, and why it’s recently become more popular in the North; a topic I covered in detail in my last WUN article, with specific focus on the importance of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and why we celebrate multi-culturalism as well on this day.
The Gilded Age and the Great Migration
We concluded our talk by discussing the Great Migration and the more than six million African Americans who moved from the rural South to Northern cities to find work. My family was part of this diaspora. This migration was fueled by the new labor opportunities that became available due to the Industrial Revolution, after the Civil War. As industrial wealth grew, so did Newport’s prominence as a playground for America’s elite.
The Downing Legacy
One Gilded Age New York & Newport family (like my own) made a profound impact on me. I dedicated an entire WUN “Voices” article earlier this year to Thomas Downing (1791-1866) and his son, George T. Downing (1819 – 1903). In our talk, we referred to the younger Downing as “the first African American Influencer” in Manhattan, D.C., and Newport. George was an entrepreneur, an early abolitionist, and an activist for African American civil rights. He used his substantial financial success to help others, especially the education of Black children.
Downing was a major contributor to the purchase of public land, which we know today as Touro Park.
For these reasons and many more, we ended the talk by unveiling a visual rendering for the first person-of-color, life-size monument of George T. Downing that RISHM plans to erect in Touro Park. The monument will be directly across from Downing Street on Bellevue Avenue and will be designed by renowned New York-based public arts sculptor, Vinnie Bagwell.
Help us Mark History
We invite all citizens of Greater Newport and beyond to support RISHM’s mission. Your donations help us place more historical medallions and bring this heroic monument to life. To contribute, visit www.rishm.org. Donations of $100 or more will receive access to the full library presentation, including videos, as a token of our gratitude.
Charles L. Roberts is Executive Director and Founder of Rhode Island Slave History Medallions, www.rishm.org. He can be reached at charles@rishm.org.