Rhode Island Independence Day
Rhode Island Independence Day is uniquely observed on May 4, commemorating the colony's renunciation of allegiance to Britain in 1776, two months prior to the national Independence Day on July 4. This event marked a significant assertion of autonomy, driven by the economic hardships caused by British mercantile policies, particularly the Sugar Act of 1764, which severely limited Rhode Island's trade opportunities. Tensions escalated in the colony, culminating in the notorious burning of the British revenue ship Gaspee in 1772, an act that fueled local resentment towards British rule.
As dissatisfaction grew, Rhode Island's General Assembly took decisive action on May 4, 1776, repealing the act requiring allegiance to the crown and establishing local governance free from British oversight. This bold move was a key milestone in the broader struggle for independence across the American colonies, influencing subsequent decisions at the Continental Congress. Rhode Island's early declaration of independence reflects its unique historical context and the colony's pivotal role in the fight against British tyranny, making May 4 a day of pride and remembrance for its residents.
Rhode Island Independence Day
Every year Rhode Island celebrates two Independence Days: July 4 and May 4. The latter is the anniversary of Rhode Island's own renunciation of allegiance to Britain, two months before the national Declaration of Independence.
Britain's post-1765 imperial policy had devastated the economy of the tiny Rhode Island colony. The inhabitants were traders, and the basis of their commerce was the sugar and molasses that for decades had obtained from the French and Spanish West Indies. The Sugar Act of 1764, however, prohibited such exchange. The American colonists were forced to trade with only the British island possessions in the Caribbean, where sugar and molasses were more expensive and less abundant.
To enforce the new mercantile regulations, British revenue ships plied the coastal waters in search of smugglers. One of the most efficient, and therefore despised, of these vessels was the Gaspee, which patrolled Narragansett Bay off Rhode Island. On June 9, 1772, the Gaspee went aground on a sandspit near Providence, and the colonists seized the opportunity to end its career. That night a party of men boarded the Gaspee, terrorized the crew, and then set the vessel aflame.
This action was a serious offense. The British government sent a special commission to Rhode Island to investigate the incident, and empowered its members to transfer the scene of the suspects' trial to England. The commission never made any arrests, but the provincial press widely publicized Britain's theoretical violation of an accused individual's right to trial by a jury composed of members of his community.
The Gaspee experience made Rhode Islanders particularly sensitive to every British infraction of colonial rights thereafter. Following the Boston Tea Party, Rhode Island joined the outcry against the harsh retaliatory measures imposed by the British. The general assembly enthusiastically sent delegates to the First Continental Congress and authorized charters for several new military companies. Throughout the colony, arms manufacturers and ammunition stores steadily increased. The fighting at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, likewise roused Rhode Island, and within a month a 1,500-man army was sent to Boston to act “for the safety and preservation of any of the colonies.”
Relations between Great Britain and its American colonies worsened during the remainder of 1775, and by the time the general assembly met in May 1776 the desire for independence was strong in Rhode Island. Traditionally, each elected officer in the colony had sworn allegiance to the king before assuming his duties. This practice ended on May 4, 1776, when both houses of the general assembly approved an act repealing the “Act for the more effectually securing to His Majesty, the allegiance of his subjects, in this his Colony and Dominion of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”
The preamble to the act related that protection and allegiance were reciprocal and asserted that the king, in violation of the compact, had introduced fleets and armies into the colony to force upon the people a detestable tyranny. It further asserted that under such circumstances it became the right and duty of a people to make use of the means at hand for their preservation, and that therefore the act of allegiance was repealed. The new act directed that in all writs and processes of law, wherever the name and authority of the king had been employed, there should be substituted “the Governor and Company of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” It was also declared that the courts were no longer to be the king's courts and that written instruments should no longer bear the year of the king's reign.
The bold deed of Rhode Island was an important step toward independence, and rebellion spread quickly after May 4. On May 15 a Virginia convention instructed its delegates to the Second Continental Congress to “declare the United Colonies free and independent states.” Less than a month later, on June 11, the Congress appointed a committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. The product of their work was the Declaration of Independence of July 1776.
Belmore, Ryan. "Rhode Island Encourages Residents to Fly State Flags in Honor of Rhode Island Independence Day." WUN, 4 Apr. 2024, whatsupnewp.com/2024/04/rhode-island-encourages-residents-to-fly-state-flags-in-honor-of-rhode-island-independence-day/#google‗vignette. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Gagosz, Alexa. "What Is Rhode Island Independence Day?" The Boston Globe, 1 May 2021, www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/04/metro/what-is-rhode-island-independence-day/. Accessed 1 May 2024.