Rhode Island College miscellaneous papers (MS.1E.1)

The Rhode Island College miscellaneous papers date from the petition for a charter in 1763 to the change of name from Rhode Island College to Brown University in 1804. Included in the collection are minutes, reports, correspondence, a charter, lists of subscribers, lists of members of the corporation, accounts, and library catalogs.

The collection documents the grant from the General Assembly and the Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island for the establishment of a college; the early history of the College's Corporation; the appropriation of financial support; the absence of religious requirements; students; the college library; and the impact of the Revolution on the College. A speech given by George Washington at the College on August 19, 1790, is in the collection.

Student conduct, admissions, commencements, tuition, and fees for commons and boarding are documented through the Corporation minutes and correspondence. The development of the college library is documented through orders for books, letters related to the donation of books, and library catalogs. The impact of the Revolution on the College is detailed in compensation requests from the College to Congress.