<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The history of Rhode Island includes the history of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since pre-colonial times . </P> <P> Indian inhabitants occupied most of the area now known as Rhode Island, including the Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Niantic tribes . Many Indians were killed by diseases, possibly contracted through contact with European settlers and explorers (though no definitive source has been proven), and through warfare with other tribes and with European settlers . The Narragansett language died out for many years but was partially preserved in Roger Williams's A Key into the Languages of America (1643). </P>

Who did the rhode island colony trade with