page_title: History of Providence, Rhode Island
section_title: American Revolution
hierarchical_section_title: History of Providence, Rhode Island / American Revolution
caption_attribution_description: The w:Woonasquatucket River in the w:Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island
context_page_description: The Rhode Island city of Providence has a nearly 400-year history integral to that of the United States, including significance in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the American Revolutionary War by providing leadership and fighting strength, quartering troops, and supplying goods to residents by circumventing the blockade of Newport. The city is also noted for the first bloodshed of the American Revolution in the Gaspée Affair. Additionally, Providence is notable for economic shifts, moving from trading to manufacturing; the decline of manufacturing devastated the city during the Great Depression, but the city eventually attained economic recovery through investment of public funds.
context_section_description: In the mid-1770s, the British government levied taxes that impeded Providence's maritime, fishing, and agricultural industries, the mainstays of the city's economy.  One example was the Sugar Act, which affected Providence's distilleries and its trade in rum. These taxes caused the Colony of Rhode Island to join the other colonies in renouncing allegiance to the British Crown. Providence residents were among the first to spill blood in the American Revolution during the Gaspée Affair in 1772.
  The city escaped enemy occupation during the American Revolutionary War, but the British captured Newport, which disrupted industry and kept the population on alert. American troops were quartered in Providence for various campaigns, and Brown University's University Hall was used as a barracks and military hospital.  French troops were quartered in the city's Market House.
  Following the war, the economy shifted from maritime endeavors to manufacturing, particularly machinery, tools, silverware, jewelry, and textiles. At one time, Providence boasted some of the largest manufacturing plants in the country, including Brown & Sharpe, Nicholson File, and Gorham Manufacturing Company.  The city's industries attracted many immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Portugal, Cape Verde, and French Canada. Economic and demographic shifts caused social strife. Hard Scrabble and Snow Town were two African American neighborhoods and were the sites of two riots in 1824 and 1831. Providence residents ratified a city charter in 1831 as the population passed 17,000.
caption: A historic mill on the Woonasquatucket River
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