Declaring Independence in Rhode Island

As dissent toward British rule grew in the colonies in the years leading to the American Revolution, Rhode Island proved it was a force to be reckoned with. In 1772, Rhode Islanders sabotaged the HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship in Narragansett Bay. The acts of rebellion continued in May 1776, when the colony declared its freedom from allegiance to King George III with the Act of Renunciation. Rhode Island's defiance was met with a three-year British occupation of the capital city of Newport from 1776 to 1779. When the war ended, Rhode Island was wary of ceding its hard-fought independence and was the last colony to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

An NEH grant to the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) will help develop a series of six public talks on the people and events of 1776 and the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, particularly as it pertains to Rhode Islanders. RIHS will also host after-school professional development seminars for teachers and implement a dedicated website and database for its digitized collection of documents related to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.