Which colony was the first to renounce its allegiance to King George III?

Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce its allegiance to King George III, doing so on May 4, 1776.

The colony acted before the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4. Rhode Island’s declaration formally removed references to the king from its governing documents and rejected the Crown’s authority over the colony. This made it the first of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Britain.

Rhode Island had already developed a strong reputation for resistance. In 1772, local men attacked and burned the British customs schooner HMS Gaspee near Providence, one of the earliest armed acts of rebellion against British authority. The colony also supported the revolutionary cause through leaders such as Stephen Hopkins and Samuel Ward.

Rhode Island’s early independence should not be confused with its later constitutional history. It was the last of the original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, doing so in 1790, after intense debate over federal power.