Gaspee Days: Celebrating Freedom’s First Blow

WARWICK, RI — Not long after the 1772 burning of the HMS Gaspee by a daring band of Rhode Islanders, newspaper accounts of the deed reached Col. George Washington at Mount Vernon, who defied a British captain vowing revenge.

Rhode Island has long celebrated its lead role in the Revolutionary War, “The First Blow for Freedom,” with annual Gaspee Days celebrations of the events and heroes of that day in Pawtuxet Village, which return this weekend. In the years preceding the Revolutionary War, however, celebrating the act or identifying the conspirators would have led to dire consequences.

As the newspaper account was passed across Washington’s table, the captain declared he would march 5,000 British regulars from Boston to Charleston, SC, to put down all opposition to the revenue acts. Washington, incensed, hinted at his allegiance in his response, according to an 1822 account from the Washington Republican posted to the Gaspee Virtual Archives.

“I question not, Sir, that you could march from  Boston to Charleston, South Carolina, at the head of five thousand British regulars: but do you mean to say, Sir, that you could do so, as a friend, or as an enemy If as the latter, and you will allow me a few weeks notice of your intention, I will engage to give you a handsome check with the Virginia riflemen alone.” As Washington said the words “with the Virginia riflemen alone,” he struck the table so hard that a decanter and wine glasses near him shook.

The Gaspee Project at Waterfire notes, “The attack on the Gaspee motivated further communication between the colonies in the form of the Committees of Correspondence and inspired the colonies to join together to seek their independence, ultimately leading to the founding of the United States of America.”

The British offered a reward for information about the Gaspee Affair and appointed a commission of inquiry to further investigate the matter. No one seemed to know anything when called to testify, according to the Gaspee Virtual Archives. The commission of inquiry was empowered to send suspects directly to England for trial, violating colonists’ rights to a local jury of their peers, further inflaming tensions.

Newspaper accounts of the attack on the Gaspee and the commission of inquiry were front-page news not only within the colonies themselves, but across the Atlantic in Britain. It was also featured in an influential pamphlet, An Oration on the Beauties of Liberty, by Rev. John Allen of Boston, often quoted by John Adams, James Otis, and other Revolutionary leaders. It was among the most published pamphlets during the pre-Revolutionary years. In 1776, when the colonies severed ties with Britain, the Gaspee Affair commission was referenced in the Declaration of Independence,  “For depriving us, in may cases, of the benefit of trial by jury; For transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for pretended offenses,” according to the Gaspee Virtual Archives.

The rest of the nation celebrates American Independence on July 4, but that’s fitting, since the burning of the Gaspee preceded the Boston Tea Party in 1773 by more than a year. Here’s the schedule of events celebrating the Ocean State’s revolutionary leadership by example:

Saturday, June 9:

• 8 a.m.: Gaspee Days Eucemenical Service  The weekend’s celebrations begin with a solemn, non-denominational gathering at Trinity Church honoring the holiday. The 30-minute ceremony takes place in the heart of Pawtuxet Village at Trinity Episcopal Church, 139 Ocean Ave, Cranston, one of the area’s oldest edifices. Dozens of voices from The West Bay Chorale will accompany the service.

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  9:30 a.m.: Gaspee Days 5K. Following the same route as the annual parade it procedes along Narragansett Parkway, the Allen & Edna W. Brown 5K Memorial Foot Race is the first big-crowd part of the celebration that  essentially shuts down the village of Pawtuxet for three hours. Organizers recommend getting into Pawtuxet by 8 a.m.; parking after that is hit-or-miss. The 5K draws more than 1,600 runners each year to run along the Parkway’s famed red, white, and blue road stripe. Runner registration is available online. Check in begins at 7:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, Broad Street & Rhodes Place, Cranston, RI.

• 10 a.m.: Gaspee Days Parade: Also following Narragansett Parkway, the parade draws a teeming, enthusiastic crowd watching marching bands and floats from lawn chairs, front lawns, porches and roofs. The parade features federal, state and local officials, the Pawtuxet Rangers, cannon fire, musket fire, and famed Dancing Cop Tony Lepore.

• All day: Colonial encampment: See what life was like in the 1770s at Pawtuxet Park, where several dozen [at least] historically-garbed folks will gladly show you their digs, threads, and chow.

Sunday, June 10:

• All day: Colonial encampment: See what life was like in the 1770s at Pawtuxet Park, where several dozen [at least] historically-garbed folks will gladly show you their digs, threads, and chow.

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  4 p.m.: Burning of the Gaspee: Get to Pawtuxet Park by 3:15 p.m. to get the best lookout spot. The next hour at 4 p.m. is marked by a loud “BOOM” — it’s the Colonials firing blanks from a real-deal cannon; and flames will soon consume a model Gaspee as it floats mere yards from where the original was torched.

Find more Gaspee Days information:

• At the Gaspee Days Committee website.
• At the Gaspee Days Committee Twitter feed.

How to get to Gaspee Days:

Pawtuxet Village sits astride Broad Street on the Cranston/Warwick line.

For the most direct route from out of town, take I-95 or I-295 to Rte. 37 toward Warwick/T.F. Green State Airport. Go all the way to the end and curl around to Rte. 1, Post Road. Continue on Post Road, crossing over Rte. 117, until you reach the end.

If using a GPS, enter 2206 Broad St., Cranston, RI, 02905.

• Narragansett Parkway and Broad Street close at 8 a.m. June 10, and will remain closed until the end of the parade.
• There is NO parking at any point between either point of this closure. Plan alternative transportation and parking arrangements in advance.