Rhode Island Renunciation of Allegiance
- When
- 1774–1776
- Where
- Colony of Rhode Island
- Episodes
- 3
In May 1776 Rhode Island became the first of the thirteen colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, acting on May 4, 1776. The passage sources describe the act as a renunciation of allegiance to King George III and as a declaration of independence from Britain, consistent with the colony's earlier revolutionary precedents.
Episodes
- Rhode Island elects the first Continental Congress delegates
In 1774 Rhode Island proposed the Continental Congress idea and elected Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward as its first delegates.
- Rhode Island creates the first colonial standing army
On April 22, 1775, the Rhode Island General Assembly created the first standing army in the colonies, numbering 1,500 men.
- Rhode Island renounces allegiance to the British Crown
On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island became the first of the thirteen colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown.
Background and detail
Background. Rhode Island's tradition of independence and dissent gave the colony a prominent role in the American Revolution. Its revolutionary activity began before the renunciation: the idea of a Continental Congress was proposed at a Providence town meeting on May 17, 1774, and Rhode Island elected the first delegates, Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward, to the Continental Congress on June 15, 1774.
Revolutionary Precedents. The colony continued to take early measures in the months before renouncing the Crown. On April 22, 1775, the Rhode Island General Assembly created the first standing army in the colonies, numbering 1,500 men. A passage also records that on June 15, 1775, the first naval engagement of the American Revolution took place, involving an American sloop commanded by a captain; the source text is truncated and does not name the opposing vessel.
Renunciation of Allegiance. On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island renounced its allegiance to the British Crown, becoming the first of the thirteen colonies to do so. The sources describe the act both as a renunciation of allegiance to the British Crown and as the first colonial declaration of independence from Britain, and they identify the colony as the first to renounce allegiance to King George III.
People involved
- Rhode Island General Assembly · colonial legislature that created the colony's standing army in 1775
- Stephen Hopkins · delegate elected by Rhode Island to the Continental Congress in 1774
- Samuel Ward · delegate elected by Rhode Island to the Continental Congress in 1774
Sources
- Rhode Island Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-24
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.