1 The Burning of the Gaspee A Presentation of the Gaspee Days Committee Left Mouse Click to Advance v Elementary

2 The Burning of the Gaspee Rhode Island back in 1772 The attack on the British ship, Gaspee And what led to…. This show talks about -- INDEPENDENCE.

3 The Burning of the Gaspee Rhode Island became a Colony of Great Britain in 1636.

4 The Burning of the Gaspee By 1772, people of Rhode Island were used to doing things their own way. They did not like to pay taxes to the British King.

5 The Burning of the Gaspee Rhode Island people would buy and sell things that were sent by ships.

6 The Burning of the Gaspee Many people in Rhode Island tried to avoid paying taxes on these things they bought and sold. They would try to sneak past tax collectors. This is called smuggling.

7 The Burning of the Gaspee The Gaspee was a British ship sent to Rhode Island to stop smuggling.

8 The Burning of the Gaspee The crew of the Gaspee, stopped and searched all boats and ships to make sure no one smuggled. This made people in Rhode Island mad. They made a plan to get rid of the Gaspee.

9 The Burning of the Gaspee On June 9th, 1772, a ship named the Hannah, sailed from the town of Newport and headed for Providence.

10 The Burning of the Gaspee The Gaspee demanded that the ship stop to be searched. But the Hannah didnt stop, so the Gaspee chased it up the bay to Namquid Point -- a place now called Gaspee Point.

11 The Burning of the Gaspee Here are maps of the chase:

12 The Burning of the Gaspee The ships sailed up until the Gaspee ran over a sand bar and got stuck. The crew of the Hannah laughed at the Gaspee, and sailed on to the city of Providence.

13 The Burning of the Gaspee A drummer was sent into the streets to ask people of Providence to join in a raid on the Gaspee.

14 The Burning of the Gaspee That night a large crowd of men met to plan to attack the Gaspee.

15 The Burning of the Gaspee The men got into eight big rowboats and rowed down the river. The Gaspee was still stuck on the sand bar. After midnight, they attacked the Gaspee.

16 The Burning of the Gaspee Then men in the rowboats scrambled on board the Gaspee They captured the crew of the Gaspee and kept them prisoners on the shore.

17 The Burning of the Gaspee Then they set fire to the Gaspee. The fire soon caused a loud explosion that blew the Gaspee to bits. © Karl Doerflinger

18 The Burning of the Gaspee The rowboats then went back to Providence. The British were very mad about the loss of their ship.

19 The Burning of the Gaspee The King offered a big reward to tell them who did it. But Rhode Island people wouldnt tell.

20 The Burning of the Gaspee The British then set up a their own court to demand answers to who burned the Gaspee. If they found out who was involved, the British court would then send them off to England to be hanged.

21 The Burning of the Gaspee This made Americans very mad because they wanted to keep their own courts. All British people had a right to a court that was close to their home. The British were trying to take that same right away from Americans.

22 The Burning of the Gaspee This made the Americans mad. The American Colonies began to write letters to each other. This got them to think alike.

23 The Burning of the Gaspee They began to think they would like to make their own country. And later, they did just that -- The United States of America

24 The Burning of the Gaspee The British never found out who destroyed the Gaspee. But it was Americas…. First Blow for Freedom ®

25 The Burning of the Gaspee For more stuff about the Gaspee visit the Gaspee Virtual Archives at:

26 The Burning of the Gaspee written and directed by Dr. John Concannon Royal American Medley background music courtesy of The Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps Fort Myer, Virginia

27 The Burning of the Gaspee This Program was Produced by the Gaspee Days Committee April, 2004 Program ©Gaspee Days Committee Text only is public domain material and may be freely distributed. Copyrights may apply to graphic and audio material. Home