Urban Growth in Colonial Rhode Island

Book excerpt: By the early decades of the eighteenth century, Rhode Island had developed a commercial economy with not one, but two centers. Urban Growth in Colonial Rhode Island is the tale of these two cities: Newport, fifth largest city in the colonies, and the much smaller Providence. This absorbing history of two interdependent cities in a restricted region shows how they developed, competed with each other, and eventually traded places as major and secondary economic centers within the region. The book has drawn upon the substantial body of local and regional history of colonial America. Unlike other studies, which concentrate on the social structure and family life of rural communities, Urban Growth in Colonial Rhode Island explores the relationship between economic development and social structure in an urban setting. The book concludes with a discussion of the impact of the Revolution on the two cities, and the ways in which the war, combined with general economic trends, transformed Providence into Rhode Island's major city.