- This event has passed.
250th Anniversary of the Providence Tea Party – A Commemoration of Freedom and Resistance
March 2 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Join us to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Providence Tea Party, an iconic moment in Rhode Island’s Revolutionary history. This event will honor the bold act of resistance by Rhode Island women who burned British tea in 1775, a key precursor to the American Revolution.
The ceremony will feature a press conference with local leaders and historians, reflecting on the event’s significance and Rhode Island’s early role in the fight for independence. The celebration will also highlight the power of community engagement and artistic expression in preserving this pivotal moment.
The Providence Tea Party
Rhode Island patriots had no more love for tea than did their allies in Boston, and on March 2, 1775, they threw the Providence Tea Party in Market Square.
Rhode Island had already hosted one militant protest against Parliament’s customs policies. On June 9, 1772, Rhode Island’s Sons of Liberty captured the crew of a British customs schooner and burned the vessel to the waterline. Rhode Island has since celebrated the Gaspee Affair as its own version of the Boston Tea Party.
Though not the only Tea Party, the Boston affair happened first, and gained the most notoriety. It also inspired similar action from Charleston, S.C., to York, Maine. In some places, patriots threw tea overboard as they had in Boston. In others, they burned the tea as they did in Providence.
About the RI 250th Commission
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of our nation. The Rhode Island Semiquincentennial 250th Commission (RI 250th Commission), was established in 2021 through a joint resolution from the General Assembly.
Rhode Island has a pivotal role in the founding of our country. The attack on the HMS Gaspee marked the first act of aggression against the British. Rhode Island and the nation commemorate it as the spark that ignited the American Revolution. This important anniversary presents an opportunity for Rhode Islanders, and all Americans, to reflect on the many significant events that inspired the birth of our country from a diverse perspectives.
* * *
Learn more Revolutionary history in this complete guide to Revolutionary War sites in New England. Brought to you by the New England Historical Society. Click here to order your copy in paperback, here to order an ebook.