Providence

Gaspee Affair Historical Overview — National Park Service, American Revolution

NPS historical overview of the Gaspee incident as a precursor to the Revolution, examining how the royal commission's threat to transport suspects to England for trial galvanized colonial resistance.

John Brown Papers, 1763-1803 — Rhode Island Historical Society

Correspondence and business records of merchant-patriot John Brown, who helped organize the Gaspee burning and later financed Providence's Revolutionary War infrastructure. Key to understanding Providence's mercantile Patriot leadership.

Proceedings of the Gaspee Commission, 1772-1773 — Rhode Island State Archives

Official transcripts of the royal commission appointed to investigate the burning of HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay on June 9, 1772. The most important primary source for the Gaspee affair and its provocations.

Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Volume VII — A. Crawford Greene, State Printer (John Russell Bartlett, ed.)

Official published colonial and early state records covering 1770-1776, including Rhode Island's early independence resolution of May 4, 1776--two months before the Declaration--and war mobilization records.

Rhode Island Politics and the American Revolution, 1760-1776 — Brown University Press (David S. Lovejoy)

Scholarly study of Rhode Island's political trajectory from trade disputes through independence. Covers the Gaspee affair, Providence's role as the Patriot capital, and the tension between Newport and Providence factions.

Annals of the Town of Providence — Knowles, Vose and Anthony (William Staples)

Early town history drawing on records and oral tradition. Provides detailed accounts of Providence's Revolutionary War experience, including the Committee of Safety, privateering, and support for the Continental Army.

Providence Preservation Society: College Hill Historic District — Providence Preservation Society

Preservation documentation for the College Hill district, including the John Brown House, Market House, and First Baptist Meeting House--all significant in Providence's Revolutionary War history.

Rhode Island Historical Society: Providence in the Revolution — Rhode Island Historical Society

RIHS archival and published resources on Providence's wartime experience, including materials on the First Rhode Island Regiment--one of the first formally integrated military units in American history.

Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, the Slave Trade, and the American Revolution — Simon & Schuster (Charles Rappleye)

Dual biography of Providence merchant brothers John and Moses Brown, examining how their personal and commercial rivalry shaped Providence's political identity during the Revolution and debates over slavery.

The Gaspee Affair as Conspiracy — William and Mary Quarterly

Academic article examining the organization behind the Gaspee burning--primarily the Providence merchant community--and arguing it represents an early deliberate act of political resistance rather than spontaneous riot.

Gaspee Affair -- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation

General reference overview of the Gaspee incident. Provides useful context; assertions about participants and motivations should be verified against the Commission proceedings and Lovejoy.

GoProvidence: Revolutionary History — Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau

Tourism bureau resources on Revolutionary-era Providence sites, including the John Brown House, First Baptist Meeting House, and walking tours of the historic East Side.