As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, we’re telling a story that began before 1776. Rhode Island was the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain and the site of the Gaspee Affair, the first act of violent rebellion in the American Revolution.
Yet much of this history remains untold.
Rhode to Independence is a local storytelling initiative that explores Rhode Island’s pivotal—but often overlooked—role in the founding of the United States. Through powerful stories, diverse voices, and fresh perspectives, we’ll explore key revolutionary events and the civic questions they still raise today. Join us as we continue on the Rhode to Independence.
Our Storied History
Past coverage
Bob Burke takes action against Massachusetts over who first fired shots against the British before the American Revolution broke out
Newport Historical Society takes visitors back to 1775 and asks “Whose side are you on?” in the American Revolution. And the Newport Art Museum features the nautical paintings of “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea.”
Listen to Mosaic
The impact of early European immigration on Native Americans in New England is examined through the story of Samson Occom, a brilliant Mohegan Indian from Eastern Connecticut who gains fame on two continents before his story takes a dramatic and unexpected turn.
Betrayed by his mentor Eleazar Wheelock and wary of all colonists, Samson Occom forms a new American Indian tribe in the mid-1770s and leads his followers on a journey further west.
After settling in Wisconsin, members of the Brothertown tribe are forced to give up their reservation to avoid a government ordered removal to present-day Kansas, setting in motion an unforeseen legal battle their ancestors will fight more than a century later.
It’s May of 1637, and English armies are preparing to attack a large Pequot fort in the Connecticut colony. What happens next will change the relationship between the Indigenous tribes of New England and colonists forever. And it’s all thanks to Roger Williams.
Aaron Lopez flees the Spanish Inquisition and arrives in Newport in 1752 a religious refugee. He quickly becomes a successful entrepreneur and a pillar of the Jewish community. At the same time, he’s actively funding slaving voyages.
Part II of the Aaron Lopez saga brings us to a burial ground in Newport, where headstones give us insight into the lives of enslaved and free Africans in colonial Rhode Island.
PBS LearningMedia Resources
Explore our locally produced educational resources that examine a wide range of topics from this historical period.
A Look Back in Time
It all started in Narragansett Bay. The HMS Gaspee and her commander, Lieutenant William Dudingston, were sent to patrol the bay in response to years of abuse and attacks on British Customs vessels and officials at the hands of the Rhode Island colonists. Over the next five months, Dudingston gained a negative reputation for being an aggressive customs official and a violent man.
The “shot heard round the world”—the opening salvo of the American Revolution, fired at the Battles of Lexington and Concord—got 1775 off with a bang. Before the year was out, the Second Continental Congress had appointed George Washington to command the troops and Benjamin Franklin to run the post office. Meanwhile in France, King Louis XVI was crowned, likely unaware that he’d one day face his own revolution—and the guillotine.
History in Our Communities
Our Town
Charlestown is home to the second-oldest continuously used Inn in America, the General Stanton Inn. Come inside to see how this Inn has grown and changed, but also stayed the same since it was built in 1790.
The Arnold Mills Parade has been an Independence Day tradition since 1927. In this segment, learn what makes the event so special for Cumberland residents.
A nonagenarian reflects on her ancestor, Winsor Fry, a formerly enslaved person who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was the first of six generations to live in East Greenwich.
The Saylesville Meetinghouse is the longest continuously running Quaker meetinghouse in Rhode Island. Its members date as far back as Roger Williams and include signers of the Declaration of Independence. Also, the Whipple Cullen Farmstead: John Cullen owns the farmstead today, a historic landmark that has been in his family dating back to the 1700s. He is a distant cousin of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose portrait remains in their home
Watch
TV Schedule
Treasures Inside the Museum
- Fridays starting June 20, at 8:30pm; Saturdays starting June 21, at 12:30pm, 11:30pm;
- Sundays starting June 22, at 7pm
Turn: Washington’s Spies
- Thursdays starting June 12, at 10pm;
- Tuesdays starting June 17, at 1pm
A Stitch in Time
- Friday, July 4, 7:30pm
We Hold These Truths: The Global Quest for Liberty
- Friday, July 4, at 1pm;
- Wednesday, July 30, at 1pm
A Capital Fourth 2025
- Friday, July 4, at 8pm and 9:30pm
Concord’s Secret History
- Tuesday, July 8, at 2pm