As part of the 250th celebrations, each state that was a colony was asked to create a tapestry. This is the Rhode Island Tapestry created under the direction of Karen Katin and worked on by young and old (ages 5-90) over the last year. This tapestry can become a focal point for many lessons in the classroom.
For example.
The tapestry was created to tell some of the lesser known stories in Rhode Islands Revolutionary history. Researching the background to the illustrations in the tapestry can serve as research prompts.
The top right corner represents the burning of the British ship “Liberty.” That was an pre-war action that took place even earlier than the Boston Tea Party. Basic information on that event can be found in my blog: https://portsmouthhistorynotes.com/2025/07/31/the-liberty-incident/
The bottom right corner and center of the tapestry tells the story of the Black Regiment and the basic information on that can also be found in one of my blog articles. https://portsmouthhistorynotes.com/2021/02/14/celebrating-black-history-in-portsmouth-the-black-regiment/
The top left segment of the tapestry centers around the hospitals established by the French when they came to Rhode Island in 1780. They used buildings that already existed – one in Newport, one in Bristol and one in Providence. The French role in Revolutionary Rhode Island is not a commonly known story and that is one point of this tapestry – to bring attention to these events. An article by Norman Desmarais is very helpful to understanding the work of these hospitals. https://allthingsliberty.com/2022/04/french-military-hospitals-in-rhode-island/
The bottom left has an anchor. This is something that has been a symbol for Rhode Island since colonial times. An article on the flags of the 1st and 2nd Rhode Island Regiment can add to the students knowledge of why our state flag has this symbol. https://portsmouthhistorynotes.com/2022/08/29/flags-of-the-1st-and-2nd-rhode-island-regiments/