May 4 Is Rhode Island Independence Day

PROVIDENCE, RI — To most, May 4 is a generally unremarkable day: the day before Cinco de Mayo, Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!). In Rhode Island, the day marks a special anniversary, the day the then-colony was the first to declare independence from the British king in 1776.

Rhode Island's Act of Renunciation was approved nearly unanimously, the New England Historical Society said, making the colony "the first independent sovereign state in the western world."

The original Act of Renunciation is part of the state's archives, currently closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. Residents can currently see the document online. Sec. Of State Nellie Gorbea said she hoped to welcome the public into the new archives building on Broad Street in Providence soon, allowing residents access to the Act of Renunciation and other key documents in the state's history.

Two months after Rhode Island declared independence, the Declaration of Independence was signed, kicking off the fight for American independence. Throughout the war and the fight for independence, Rhode Island played a pivotal role.

Four years prior, the HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship, was burned off the coast of Warwick. Led by John Brown and Abraham Whipple, the act of defiance and the aftermath fueled the revolutionary flames in the colonies, and became a defining moment of the state's history that is still celebrated at the annual Gaspee Days festival.