How Federal Hill, Providence, Got Its Name.

The Battle Over an Ox Roast

In 1788, a makeshift army of angry farmers stormed into Providence, Rhode Island, and broke up a Fourth of July ox roast at the base of a hill. That hill, thanks to the chaos, would later become known as Federal Hill. But to understand how a celebration turned into a riot—and how a hill got its name—we need to go back long before that skirmish.

In the mid-19th century, long before European settlers arrived, the local Native people called this place Nocabulabet. This name beautifully captured its geography: "land above the river" or "land between the ancient waters." Providence slowly grew up around that hill, and over time, Irish immigrants crowded into the neighborhood, followed by a wave of newcomers from Italy. Today, Federal Hill is the heart of Providence's Little Italy, famous for its lively streets and endless restaurant choices. But in 1788, things were anything but festive.

That June, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, officially creating a framework for the new American government. Virginia followed just days later. The Constitution, as written by the former colonies that had become states, required approval from nine of them to take effect. As news spread that ten states had signed on, Federalists across the country rejoiced. In Rhode Island, the Fourth of July seemed like the perfect moment to celebrate the new Constitution.

There was just one problem: Rhode Island had not ratified it. Along with North Carolina, the state refused to join the new union. Rhode Island would not approve the Constitution until 1790, by which time its adoption was all but inevitable. In the meantime, Anti-Federalists held power through the dominant Country Party. They opposed the Constitution for many reasons, chiefly the loss of state independence to a strong central government. The party's first leader, Jonathan J. Hazard of Charlestown, had even kept Rhode Island from sending delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia back in 1787. Later, Arthur Fenner, another Country Party leader, won the governorship and served from 1790 to 1805.

Rhode Island's economy after the Revolutionary War was in shambles. The state carried enormous war debts, partly because the British had occupied Newport and the rest of Aquidneck Island—along with Conanicut Island—from December 1776 to October 1779. Rhode Island had paid for three state regiments to guard against enemy attacks, plus militia regiments called up to dislodge the British from Newport or defend against raids. The tax burden fell mostly on farmers, who had lost their main market for surplus goods: the British Caribbean islands. With that outlet gone, the economy collapsed.

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