H 8631

2026 -- H 8631
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LC006118
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  STATE  OF        RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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  HOUSE RESOLUTION
  COMMEMORATING THE 61ST ANNUAL GASPEE DAYS CELEBRATION AND THE
  MOMENTOUS 254TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BURNING OF THE GASPEE
  Introduced By: Representatives McNamara, Blazejewski, Kazarian, Chippendale,
  Paplauskas, Hopkins, Place, Fascia, Roberts, and Nardone
  Date Introduced: June 11, 2026
  Referred To: House read and passed
1WHEREAS, On the night of June 9, 1772, brave Rhode Island colonists captured and
2 burned the reviled British revenue schooner, H.M.S. Gaspee, in one of the boldest and most
3 colorful victories in our country's War for American Independence; and
4WHEREAS, The Gaspee had been harassing Rhode Island since the days of the Stamp
5 Act. Its burning off Namquid Point was an ultimate act of defiance and has become renowned as
6 the first blood shed during the American Revolution and America's "First Blow for Freedom".
7 The colonists actions were a supreme act of protest against the tyranny of the British Crown, and
8 they provided a strong impetus in the movement of the American colonies toward independence;
9 and
10WHEREAS, The burning of H.M.S. Gaspee led to the formation of a Committee of
11 Correspondence, which in turn led to the establishment of the Continental Congress, and,
12 eventually, to the Declaration of Independence; and
13WHEREAS, Today, two hundred and fifty-four years later, the memory of this
14 incendiary act still fires the hearts and minds of the residents of historic Pawtuxet Village, and
15 since 1965, the village has memorialized the event with an annual Gaspee Days Celebration. This
16 year's festivities will include a firework extravaganza, a 5K road race, live music, including a
17 symphony in the park, and an Arts & Crafts Festival, with the highlight being the Gaspee Days
18 parade. Also featured is the burning of the Gaspee in effigy, as well as a Revolutionary War
19 militia encampment, fife and drum bands, and so much more; and
1WHEREAS, In 1995, legislation was enacted by the Rhode Island General Assembly to
2 annually designate the second Saturday and the following Sunday in the month of June as Days of
3 Special Observance to be known as Gaspee Days; now, therefore be it
4RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
5 commemorates the 61st annual celebration of Gaspee Days and the 254th Anniversary of the
6 Burning of the Gaspee. We moreover urge the patriotic citizens of the Ocean State to participate
7 in the festivities honoring this momentous event in the history of our state and our nation; and be
8 it further
9RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
10 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Proclamation Chairman of the Gaspee Days
11 Committee.
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LC006118
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