5 ways that Rhode Island factored into the American Revolution

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - While Brown University professors Phil Gould and Seth Rockman have co-taught a course titled The American Revolution multiple times over the years, it has felt more relevant than usual this semester as the United States approaches its semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026.

The course explores through primary source documents and scholarly works many of the lesser-known stories related to the country's founding. This year, it was designated part of Brown 2026, a campus-wide initiative to demonstrate the important role of university research and teaching in fostering open and democratic societies.

Gould, a professor of English, and Rockman, a professor of American history, drew on their scholarly expertise across literature, early American texts and history to develop the curriculum. It covers the familiar historical figures in the 13 colonies and British empire, as well as the experiences of Loyalists, enslaved African Americans, Native Americans and women.

"We were excited to offer the course this spring because we knew we'd want to give students the ability to think critically about this history at precisely a moment when it was going to be in the media, and when it was going to be performed on the grounds of the White House, and when it was going to be so much of a part of our popular culture," said Rockman, who noted that enrollment was higher this semester than in previous years.

Gould and Rockman describe the American Revolution as the cornerstone of U.S. civic culture.

"Its rhetoric and images, including the 'Spirit of '76,' 'no taxation without representation,' 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,' continue to resonate in the political life of the nation," Gould said.

The colony of Rhode Island - founded by Roger Williams in 1636 after he was banished from Massachusetts - is woven throughout the content, which adds an additional level of meaning for students in Providence.

As the United States readies to commemorate 250 years of history, Rockman shared five ways that Rhode Island is featured in the course.

Triangular Trade

The class begins its focus in the early 1760s, with a lecture about a ship called The George - owned by members of the Brown family who were among the early figures in Brown University's history - that describes how it carried a cargo of Rhode Island horses to the port of Paramaribo in the Dutch colony of Surinam.

"This voyage helps us understand the place of the 13 North American colonies in the larger world - specifically, the colonies that would become the United States and how they functioned as colonies for other colonies in the Americas that produced the most lucrative 18th-century commodity: sugar," Rockman said. "Those Rhode Island horses would help turn the gears of plantation machinery to grind sugar. This trade got Rhode Islanders access to molasses, which they would bring back to Rhode Island to distill into rum that could be exported elsewhere in the Atlantic, especially to West Africa for purchasing slaves."

"Rights of Colonies Examined"

Published in 1764,the "Rights of Colonies Examined" pamphlet by Rhode Island Gov. Stephen Hopkins argued against British taxation without representation.

"This was one of the first protest pamphlets of the era," Rockman said. "Students read it as originally published and see Hopkins argue for the injustice of new commercial regulations and tariffs imposed by Parliament."

Stamp Act Riots in Newport

The Stamp Act, with taxes levied on printed paper, was one of the first direct taxes imposed on the colonies by the British government. In August 1765, the first Stamp Act riots, led by the Sons of Liberty, happened in Boston, followed by those in Newport, during which rioters vandalized the houses of prominent Loyalists.

"This violence raised new questions about the lawfulness of resistance, the possibilities for loyal opposition and the capacity to use the press as a vehicle for critiquing the crown," Rockman said.

Spinning Bees

Women formed the Daughters of Liberty in 1766 to formalize their political agency during the Stamp Act crisis, and spinning bees are one of the most well-known examples of women's political action during this era.

"Consumer boycotts of British goods in the late 1760s would open space for more genteel expressions of opposition to crown policies, and the production of domestic fabrics would also function as spaces for women to perform political commitments," Rockman said.

The Brown course looks at a Newport Mercury newspaper report of a 1766 spinning bee in Bristol, Rhode Island, in which young women raced to produce skeins of linen thread that would "prove instrumental in diffusing a spirit of industry throughout the government," according to the report.

Burning of the HMS Gaspee

On the night of June 9-10, 1772, Rhode Island men forced the crew of the HMS Gaspee, a British customs vessel, off the ship before burning it in the waters of what is now known as Gaspee Point in Warwick, Rhode Island. The incident is considered one of the first overt acts of rebellion in the colonies against the British crown.

"The class doesn't spend too much time on the burning of the Gaspee, although the aftermath of that event figures prominently in the mobilization of popular sentiment in print," Rockman said.

Students in the course read a 1773 sermon by minister John Allen called "An Oration upon the Beauties of Liberty," which is a direct response to the crown's stated intent to bring the Gaspee conspirators to England for a trial.

"This was enough of a violation of established practice that it activated ministers to defend the colonies from the pulpit," Rockman said.