 The word "plantation" in the state's name has become a contested issue, and the Rhode Island General Assembly voted on June 25, 2009, to hold a general referendum determining whether "and Providence Plantations" would be dropped from the official name.Advocates for excising "plantation" claimed that the word symbolized an alleged legacy of disenfranchisement for many Rhode Islanders, as well as the proliferation of slavery in the colonies and in the post-colonial United States.Advocates for retaining the name argued that "plantation" was simply an archaic synonym for "colony" and bore no relation to slavery.