Visit the Rhode Island State House on Saturday, May 2
PROVIDENCE, RI – Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore and the RI Department of State today announced that the State House will once again be open for special Saturday hours on Saturday, May 2 in recognition of Rhode Island Independence Day.
"As we commemorate our nation's semiquincentennial year, Rhode Islanders should be proud to first recognize Rhode Island Independence Day – when our small state was the first to renounce its allegiance to the Crown," said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore. "I hope Rhode Islanders and visitors alike will join us at the State House to learn more about Rhode Island's role in the Revolution and see our history up close."
On Saturday, May 2, the Rhode Island State House will be open for special Saturday hours from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The RI Department of State will offer abbreviated State House tours and State Archives staff will have the Act of Renunciation on display. Rhode Island 250-themed exhibits will be on display, and free raffles and giveaways will be available while supplies last. More information about the event can be found on EventBrite.
On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain's King George III and declare independence by official legislative act. The passage of the Act of Renunciation by the Rhode Island General Assembly took place at the Old State House on Benefit Street in Providence, Rhode Island. This Act officially ended the colony's allegiance to Great Britain. The original Act is in the keeping of the Rhode Island Department of State and is available for the public to view, upon request, at the State Archives.
To learn more about the Act of Renunciation, visit the Rhode Island State Archives website. To learn more about Rhode Island's efforts to commemorate America's semiquincentennial, visit https://rhodeisland250.org/.
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