The Rhode Island General Assembly passed the Act of Renunciation, on May 4, 1776, at the Old State House in Providence, formally breaking allegiance with King George III and Great Britain, two months before the Continental Congress’s declaration.
The declaration solidified the colony's proactive role in the American Revolution, following the burning of the British ship HMS Gaspee in 1772. Although the first to renounce the Crown, Rhode Island was the last of the thirteen original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution. (1790).The date of May 4 is celebrated as Rhode Island Independence Day. American Independence - Historical Timeline
