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Rhode Island & Providence Plantations

Rhode Island & Providence Plantations was founded by Roger Williams, a religious theologian who became a refugee from Massachusetts-Bay in 1636 when he fell out of favour with the government in the latter due to his dissent of their policies. Providence Plantations was merged with the Rhode Island colony in 1644, and the name of the colony became Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - still the official name of the state, and the longest title of any state of the United States. The colony would become one of the earliest to issue paper money in 1710 to pay for an expedition. The early notes bore engraved designs on the reverses to thwart falsification, but in fact forgers caught up technologically and all of the early notes were called in and most destroyed.

With the opening salvos of the American Revolution in 1775 the citizens of the colony declared their independence from Great Britain on 4 May 1776 - the first of the American colonies to do so. The last issue of currency during the American Revolution was the 2nd July 1780 United States Guaranty issue that quickly devalued. In May 1786 the state legislature approved an act for a new paper money issue, the notes were to be made legal tender but through a sleight of legislative chicanery the legal tender status could not be challenged by jury trial. A subsequent trial challenging this legislation resulted and the Trevett vs. Weeden case would go on to establish the right of a jury trial for citizens of the United States.

In common with practically all paper money issued during this era, the currency quickly depreciated in value, and thus it's legal tender status was challenged so that by September 1789 it was no longer legal tender. The remaining notes, estimated to be about 96% of the issue, were called in by the state and destroyed up until 1803. These notes were printed by Southwick and Barber, book printers from Newport and are printed on a blue tinted cream paper. One thing is certain, the State of Rhode Island valued it's paper money a bit more than a confederation with the United States - this last issue of paper money in Rhode Island was prohibited in the soon to be ratified US Constitution - so the State Legislature took their time ratifying the Constitution until they paid their bills with these notes.

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