Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776.
The colony's legislature formally ended its allegiance before the Second Continental Congress adopted the national Declaration of Independence. This action made Rhode Island an early leader in the movement toward separation from Great Britain. It also reflected the colony's long tradition of resisting outside authority and defending local self-government.
Rhode Island had already confronted British power during the Gaspee Affair in 1772. An armed group attacked and burned the British customs schooner HMS Gaspee near Providence, an event that occurred before the better-known Boston Tea Party. The colony later supported the Continental cause during the Revolutionary War.
Rhode Island's May 4 action should not be confused with the congressional Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4. The colony was also the fourth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, doing so on February 9, 1778.