PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — While much of the country celebrates independence on the Fourth of July, Rhode Island marks its own historic moment two months earlier.
On May 4, 1776, 250 years ago, the Ocean State became the first of the 13 colonies to formally renounce its allegiance to the British crown, a bold move that helped pave the way for American independence.
At what is now 150 Benefit St. in Providence, the site of Rhode Island’s Old State House, lawmakers signed the Act of Renunciation, officially cutting ties with King George III…