Your Presence is Requested by;
The New England Region
For
Putting on the Ritz!
Please join us at…
Clan Donald USA's AGM 2008
Historic Rhode Island Welcomes You!
Roger Williams founded the first permanent white settlement in Rhode Island at Providence in 1636 on land purchased from the Narragansett Indians. Forced to flee Massachusetts because of persecution, Williams established a policy of religious and political freedom in his new settlement. Other leaders advocating freedom of worship soon established similar communities on either side of Narragansett Bay. These communities united, and in 1663 King Charles II of England granted them a royal charter, providing for a greater degree of self-government than any other colony in the New World and authorizing the continuation of freedom of religion.
The early 1700s was a period of prosperity for Rhode Island. Farming and sea trading became profitable businesses. Providence and Newport were among the busiest ports in the New World. Despite making profits from the slave trade, Rhode Island was the first colony to prohibit the importation of slaves.
At the start of the Revolutionary War, Rhode Islanders were among the first colonists to take action against British rule by attacking British vessels. On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain and declare independence. Although no major battles took place in the state, Rhode Island regiments participated in every major campaign of the war. Rhode Islanders such as General Nathanael Greene, second-in-command to General George Washington, and Commodore Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy, distinguished themselves as military leaders and heroes. The first Black regiment to fight for America made a gallant stand against the British in the Battle of Rhode Island.
Rhode Island's independent spirit was still in evidence at the close of the Revolutionary War. It was the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution, demanding that the Bill of Rights, which guarantees individual liberties, be added.
Following the Revolution, industrial growth began in Rhode Island. In 1793, Samuel Slater's mill in Pawtucket became America's first successful water-powered cotton mill. From this success, the Industrial Revolution in America began. In addition, the founding of the American jewelry industry by Nehemiah and Seril Dodge helped make Providence one of the chief industrial cities of New England by 1824. Jabez Gorham, jeweler and silversmith, was the forerunner of the world renowned Gorham Manufacturing Company.
Your 2008 AGM committee has prepared a wonderful five days filled with fun and rich history, so come and join us and renew your Scottish spirit with your cousins from near and far!
Guest of Honor
We are proud to announce that we will have as our guest, The Honorable Hector McDonnell of Antrim Ireland.
Please feel free to view his website at
hectormcdonnell.com
HOST HOTEL
The Sheraton Hotel
1850 Post Road, Warwick Rhode Island, 02886
To make reservations, call 1-800-325-3535. Please reference Clan Donald when making reservations.
Or, you can book your room on the internet at:
online reservations
The Sheraton has given us a wonderfully low rate of $89.00 per couple, $25 per each additional adult. Free shuttle service is also available from T.F Green airport as well!
