Rhode Island was one of the original colonies.
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 .