Rhode Island discusses life in the early colony, including the growth of the colony under Roger Williams, farming, trading, the history of slavery in the colony, the presence of pirates, and the Pequot War and King Phillip's War. It covers the early explorers, the growth of European nation-states, and the American Indian civilizations that existed before the Europeans arrived, as well as the first settlements in Rhode Island, including Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport. This engaging volume closes with a description of the battles and events of the Revolutionary War, such as the Battle of Rhode Island, and an examination of its place as the thirteenth and last state to ratify the Constitution.