The Ocean State Republican

Today marks the 232nd anniversary of the declaration of independence by the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from Great Britain on May 4, 1776. As Rhode Island did not ratify the US Constitution until May of 1790, it was for all intents and purposes a “free and independent state” for 14 years!

This also marks our 400th blog post on The Ocean State Republican!

In the course of reading on this subject, I found a neat digitized book on the Internet Archive which you may enjoy, entitled “The Rhode Island Declaration of Independence” by one-time Rhode Island Gov. Charles Warren Lippitt, which was published on May 4, 1906. We can still learn a lot from history (especially here).

On May 4, 1776, the general assembly of Rhode Island passed an act declaring that Rhode Island was sovereign and independent. The act also renounced the allegiance of the colony to Great Britain. It was the first official declaration of independence by any of the 13 British colonies in what is now the United States of America.

§ 25-2-1 Rhode Island Independence Day. – The fourth day of May in each and every year is established, in this state, as a day for celebration of Rhode Island independence, being a just tribute to the memory of the members of our general assembly, who, on the fourth day of May, 1776, in the State House at Providence, passed an act renouncing allegiance of the colony to the British crown and by the provisions of that act declared Rhode Island sovereign and independent, the first official act of its kind by any of the thirteen (13) American colonies.