RI's Revolutionary History: Secretary of State Gregg Amore

This episode explores Rhode Island’s pivotal contributions to American independence, highlighting its unique history, key figures, and ongoing commemorations for the 250th anniversary. Learn why Rhode Island’s self-governance and revolutionary acts are fundamental to understanding the nation’s birth and how the state is celebrating this historic milestone today.Main topics:

• Rhode Island's early role in the American Revolution and its unique self-governance

• Key figures and events, including the Gaspi incident and Stephen Hopkins

• The significance of Revolutionary-era sites and ongoing 250th celebrations

• The importance of acknowledging America’s complex history, including struggles with race and equality

• How Rhode Island’s history informs current conversations about liberty and patriotism

Timestamps: 00:00 - Setting the scene in Bristol and Rhode Island’s revolutionary energy 00:31 - Rhode Island’s role in early American history and revolution 00:44 - Celebrating Declaration of Independence displays and public engagement 01:22 - Public reactions to viewing the Declaration and related documents 03:03 - Starting points for newcomers to Rhode Island’s revolutionary history 03:19 - The Gaspi incident as the first shot in anger and its significance 04:04 - The formation of committees of correspondence and Rhode Island’s leadership in pushback 04:44 - Rhode Island’s unique self-governance under the 1663 Royal Charter 05:40 - Rhode Island’s contributions to the Continental Army and Navy 07:04 - Rhode Island’s 250th programming and celebrations across the state 07:50 - Key historic sites such as Colony House in Newport and the Old State House in Providence 08:50 - Notable figures: Stephen Hopkins, Nathaniel Green, and their roles 10:22 - Recent efforts to include Black history and historic revisionism 11:26 - The importance of confronting all aspects of American history 12:55 - Celebrating the principles of liberty and equality in American history 14:45 - Current initiatives to commemorate and reflect on the nation’s founding principles 15:11 - Closing remarks and upcoming merchandise for the Rhode Island 250 celebrationResources & Links:

• Rhode Island 250

• Rhode Island 250 Merchandise Store

• Rhode Island Black History

Connect with Secretary Greg Amore:

• Rhode Island Secretary of State - LinkedIn

• Twitter

Transcript

Bill Bartholomew 0:00

You know, I was just down in Bristol over the weekend, walking around and it's almost like a snapshot in time every single year. I haven't been down in a while, but this year, you know, you felt authentic energy and enthusiasm on the streets. And that's going to culminate at the Fourth of July in a lot of different locations. And it's a great opportunity to check in with our Secretary of State, Greg Amore, and talk about Rhode Island's revolutionary history. Now, a lot of people, some of the stuff we're going to talk about today, this is common knowledge, but I think for most people, it's surprising, Rhode Island's role in shaping the climate and even just the early energy around what the United States was. So, Secretary, again, welcome back to the show. Appreciate you being here. Thanks, Bill. Appreciate you having me. What jumps out to you right now as it's almost like peak season for a lot of what you've been working on with the 250?

Gregg Amore 0:51

It is. And you know, I felt that same energy at the GASPY uh's parade. Uh, you know, just a kind of a different energy. And I've been going to that parade for years and years. So I, you know, we see the enthusiasm, Bill. We have displayed uh one of our copies of the Declaration of Independence in, I think, seven locations uh thus far. And in each case, there have been hundreds of people. In the case of East Greenwich, 400 people in two hours uh that came to see these unique, rare uh documents that express uh who we are as Americans and for people to connect with those on, you know, beautiful Saturday mornings or Saturday afternoons where they could be at the beach or elsewhere. Uh the fact that that's received so much attention and the ability for Rhode Island to produce these rare copies uh and make them uh accessible to the public is unique. That is not happening in many places. Um, and that's a great opportunity, and there still are more opportunities for Rhode Islanders to see one of our three copies or all three copies at the State House on July 4th.

Bill Bartholomew 1:57

What was the when were you on site? I vaguely recall that you were actually in Washington uh during some of the when when that that statehouse event was happening. What were you able to be there for one people and get immediate reaction from people as they saw the the declaration?

Gregg Amore 2:13

So I I was in Washington for another uh event, um, but but I was here uh I've been uh present at the the showings of our declaration copies, uh, and people are very uh enthusiastic, not only to see the copy, right? They want to take a photograph, and you can take photographs as long as they are not um uh they are not uh flash photographs, um, but then talk about you know what what is this copy? Uh, how do we uh possess it? Uh how is it being preserved? Uh those are those are questions that are asked all the time. But for young people, um, especially, you know, kids who are 10, 12 years old, uh they're they're seeing that for the first time. We have displayed the act of renunciation uh a number of times as well, um, and that gets the same type of enthusiastic response.

Bill Bartholomew 3:02

What jumps out to you as a starting point for somebody who says, look, I have no idea about Rhode Island's revolutionary history. I don't know anything about Rhode Island's history. I'm starting from scratch. How do you orient them as to where they are and what it means?

Gregg Amore 3:18

Yeah, I think you you have to talk about the Gaspie incident, Gaspy Affair, um, because that is the first shot and anger fired in the American Revolution based on uh British policy uh that Americans, Rhode Islanders, had no control of, no consent. Um, you know, that's the essence of this uh revolution, right? The people uh give their consent for the government to act. Uh in this case, Rhode Island uh was responding uh to what they believed to be unfair policy, tyranny, uh acted upon without their consent. And that is the theme of the revolution going forward. And I think what most Rhode Islanders don't are not aware of, and I think too many around the nation are not aware of, because of the Gaspie incident, the committees of correspondence formed. And that is the first time the colonies get together, of course, it's through written letters, uh, correspondence, and discuss strategy around pushing back at those tyrannical policies and perhaps defending themselves from them. And so that's a monumental occasion because of what it led to, and because Rhode Island led the way in physically uh pushing back, burning a ship, shooting the captain, removing the crew. Uh it's it's really an act of defiance, uh a revolutionary act. And so I think you'd start there, but there's so much more when we talk about Rhode Island's role in the American Revolution.

Bill Bartholomew 4:43

Aaron Powell, yeah, some of those again, it's it's so wide, and I wonder how to even enter this conversation. Really? There's so many different angles. I think of you know, you can look at it through just the lens of the revolution itself, and and the we can go to Portsmouth and we can go to the pick your spot, I guess. What comes next?

Gregg Amore 5:05

One of the reasons that that Rhode Island was so deeply invested in the revolution is that our colony was so unique. Uh the Royal Charter of 1663 provided self-governance in a way that no other colony uh had. Uh, we did not have a royally appointed governor. We elected our governor through the legislature, but we had um really a self-governance in Rhode Island that no other colony had. And because we were so independent and because we governed ourselves, um, when these restrictive policies were being implemented or really being enforced, because they had been implemented for decades, um, we pushed back hard because it upset our sense of self-governance. And that's why so many of the revolutionary leaders uh in the early republic were Rhode Islanders. And I tell people this all the time, and they don't realize it. When you look per capita at those that fought on behalf of the Continental Army, Rhode Island ranks third. It's Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, not New York, not Virginia. Uh, we were we were invested in this effort in many ways. Uh, the United States Navy formed uh at the behest of the Naval Council, uh second Continental Congress, led by one of our signers, Stephen Hopkins, appointed uh his brother, Isak Hopkins, as the first commander of the Continental Navy, soon to be the United States Navy. So there are so many uh connections uh to the American Revolution and the impact that Rhode Island had upon it. Um, you know, and and I think the Rhode Island 250 Commission has done a good job, despite some narrative about, you know, tall ships. They've done a really good job of showing Rhode Islanders their own history across the state. Almost a half million dollars in grants to historical organizations, cities and towns who have been able to produce programming that tells this story uh in their backyards.

Bill Bartholomew 7:03

Yes. And that was actually going to be the next place I wanted to go to here in this discussion. I'm looking at a um a guide that really showcases not only celebrations, but a lot of the programming, programming that's happening right now around the 250. And I think about just walking around Newport or walking around Providence or Bristol, uh, frankly, all of Rhode Island, but particularly those places, when people are going out to events, maybe they're going to Newport for the fireworks or Bristol for the Fourth of July parade or at the RI-250 Commission water fire evening celebration, something like that. What should they be looking for from a physical geography standpoint that jumps out to you that can help take that story and bring it into physical brick and mortar real life?

Gregg Amore 7:49

Well, the colony house uh for sure in Newport, uh historic location, also houses uh the Gilbert Stewart painting of George Washington, one of the three Lansdowne portraits, where the declaration was read aloud uh uh right after it was approved uh and sent to the colony. Um, really, really powerful. In fact, the Newport Historical Society does a great job of maintaining that building and telling that story. I would I would suggest people stop in there. Uh Rosecliffe has a fantastic exhibit on revolutions reimagined, uh, tells the story of America in increments of 100 years. Uh, fantastic uh uh display and Rhode Island-centric. Um, in Providence, you have the old statehouse. Again, the declaration read there, voted upon by the General Assembly, the act of renunciation voted upon by the General Assembly, right in that room that Rhode Islanders can visit, just down the street from Stephen Hopkins' house, uh, one of our signers. And by the way, Stephen Hopkins was a major player. He is a founding father, uh, with, you know, at the same level of Jefferson and Adams. He wrote uh a pamphlet in 1764, The Rights of the Colonies Examined, that made the case for no taxation without representation. When he walked into the hall in Philadelphia, every one of those people knew who he was and respected him because he had been making the case uh for at least representation, if not independence, and he did call for that sooner than most. Um far longer and far more uh previous to some of the more well-known uh founding fathers. Well, his home is preserved uh here in Providence, and people can visit that. Uh there's a treasure trope. Uh Nathaniel Green's home is accessible in Coventry. Nathaniel Green is the hero of the American Revolution in regard to battlefield prowess, uh, an organization to uh save the military uh because it was not being supplied correctly. He is a he is a fundamental figure in the success of uh the revolution uh and George Washington's right-hand man. You can visit his home. I mean, these are these are places that are accessible to Rhode Islanders at within a 20-minute drive, uh, where they can learn so much about these historical revolutionary figures and their flaws and faults. These are imperfect men, as all the founders were. Uh, and they were they were faced with the same dichotomy as the founders, right, uh, around slavery and making money uh through the transatlantic slave trade. And that's a good story to tell as well.

Bill Bartholomew 10:20

Yeah, and to that end, and certainly well beyond that, uh, the Center for Black History that just opened up in Newport is something uh well overdue. Newportblackhistory.org. Uh, they're not a sponsor of the program or anything. I'm just throwing that out there because it's um it's an incredible.

Gregg Amore 10:38

They are partners with us in RI-250, and we're thrilled that there are partners.

Bill Bartholomew 10:41

Yeah, it's a it's a it's an incredible operation. And what was that like for you in terms of because you just referenced that. Look, let's be honest about it. We all observed, we went through the the a number of different things. Columbus statues here in Providence. Look, I was there when the crane took the Columbus statue away, right, and brought it eventually to Johnston. And now, you know, there's a million different examples every single day of people claiming that revisionist history is woke culture and they're just not willing to reconcile with reality. And yet sometimes there are opportunities to just walk in and do that. How important, how important to you personally was the this particular partnership and in general telling a just story?

Gregg Amore 11:25

Yeah, I I think you can't uh teach American history or talk about American history without talking about all of it. And and I'm always impressed um with uh and and by the way, there's a there we could name 150 people uh who all made an effort uh to force America to live up to the values and principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence. Um and for the most part, those folks were black. Uh they were former slaves or were the children of slaves, uh, they were indigenous people who made the case that, you know, you're you're telling us that we are free, that we are equal, that we are all endowed by our creator with liberty. Um, but you're not living up to those promises. And then and Martin Luther King did that. Uh, you know, that that his his famous uh speech uh at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial uh is really asking Americans to live up to that magnificent second paragraph that Jefferson wrote, that Adams influenced, um, that we all share as an American birth certificate today. I think that's something to celebrate. Uh the fact that it was intended to uh reach only a certain segment of society, and America, uh, over the course of these 250 years has grown and expanded those opportunities based on that second paragraph. If you don't know the negative story, you can't celebrate uh the march toward a more perfect union.

Bill Bartholomew 12:54

Super well said. Could not agree more with that statement. And I think that almost recording what you just said right there and having it available for an audio drop just for everybody on their phone when somebody uh starts kind of going nuts about what now is just a completely outdated mindset, but unfortunately still comes up that a lot of the work that the 250 and many other historical organizations are doing is is uh you know woke nonsense, we'll put it that way. I mean, this feeds in.

Gregg Amore 13:20

I think I I I agree. And it's funny because if anybody were to attend uh one of the liberty tree plantings that we are doing, and and the communities have done a great job of organizing around those liberty tree plantings, or any of the places where I speak on behalf of the 250 Commission, I would challenge anyone uh to question the patriotic tone uh that is uh part of my remarks and part of the commission's efforts. Uh it is, it we are celebrating uh the Declaration of Independence, but we are also acknowledging uh where we have fallen short over the course of these last 250 years. And we're asking Americans to live up uh to those principles, those values that are articulated in that document. We should celebrate that document. It is the most important political document in world history. Uh, and the way it has been interpreted over the course of time, the suffragists used it as their calling card uh to gain equality through the vote. Uh, Abraham Lincoln referenced it continuously during the Civil War, talking about rededicating the nation to the uh the principles of equality. This is this is something that we can celebrate because we have been able to move off of uh the original intent of white, wealthy, landowning men only having influence in government. And I don't know anybody who disagrees with that. That is an American principle.

Bill Bartholomew 14:44

Completely agree. It's as mer as American as it gets. Secretary of State Greg Amore, Rhode Island250.org. That's where you'll find a lot of agr a lot of resources, obviously, links to all the events. And I was stunned to just click right now on the merch store, which includes Rhode Island 250, a lively experiment, tote bags. Get them before people hear this radio slash podcast, and uh it sells out. Secretary, thanks for your time. Cool stuff. Cool stuff. Thank you, Bill. Appreciate it.