June 9 in American History
Rhode Island colonists rowed out at night and burned the HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship that had run aground while chasing smugglers. It was one of the first violent acts of colonial defiance against the Crown — three years before Lexington — and Britain's heavy-handed investigation only fueled the growing rebellion.
In 1772: the burning of the Gaspee. Rhode Island colonists rowed out at night and burned the HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship that had run aground while chasing smugglers.
Rhode Island colonists rowed out at night and burned the HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship that had run aground while chasing smugglers. It was one of the first violent acts of colonial defiance against the Crown — three years before Lexington — and Britain's heavy-handed investigation only fueled the growing rebellion.
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