Independence Day is over, but there’s much more to learn about Rhode Island’s role in the American Revolution. The State Archives has new exhibit opening this week about Rhode Island in the year 1776.
Check out a copy of the Declaration of Independence – the first Newport printing – in person. Inspect a sample of George Washington’s handwriting. Those are two of the items on view at the Rhode Island State Archives in downtown Providence through August.
The show chronicles the trouble brewing with Britain in the run-up to the Revolutionary War and how Rhode Island responded.
The state was the setting for many revolutionary battles, from the burning of the British ship Gaspee as early as 1772 through the later years of the war.
The Rhode Island State Archives preserves the permanent records of state government.
