Rhode Island was one of the thirteen original colonies.
The Articles of Confederation , formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union , was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution . The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America , bordering the Atlantic Ocean . Rhode Island . On May 4 , 1776 , the Colony of Rhode Island became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown , and was the fourth among the newly sovereign states to ratify the Articles of Confederation on February 9 , 1778 . Thirteen Colonies . The American flag features thirteen horizontal stripes which represent these original thirteen colonies .