Rhode Island may be small, but it fights for its freedoms – and it tends to throw the first punch. By attacking the British warship HMS Gaspee in 1772, Rhode Islanders launched the first act of war leading to the American Revolution. On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony in America to declare independence, months before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Rhode Island may be small, but it fights for its freedoms – and it tends to throw the first punch. By attacking the British warship HMS Gaspee in 1772, Rhode Islanders launched the first act of war leading to the American Revolution. On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony in America to declare independence, months before the Declaration of Independence was signed.