United States History On This Date: May 4th

1776 — Rhode Island Becomes the First Colony to Renounce King George III

Rhode Island formally declares its independence from Great Britain, two months before the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence. The colony’s merchants and political leaders, long angered by British trade restrictions and naval enforcement, push the measure through with overwhelming support. The vote signals the accelerating collapse of royal authority in North America and foreshadows the coming national break.

1864 — Battle of the Wilderness Begins in Virginia

Ulysses S. Grant launches his first major campaign as general‑in‑chief, crossing the Rapidan River to engage Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The dense, tangled forest quickly turns the fighting into chaos, with brushfires, close‑quarters combat, and shifting lines. The battle marks the start of Grant’s relentless Overland Campaign, signaling a new, grinding phase of the Civil War.

1886 — Haymarket Labor Rally in Chicago Turns Deadly

Workers gather in Chicago’s Haymarket Square to protest police violence during a strike for the eight‑hour workday. As the peaceful rally nears its end, an unknown assailant throws a bomb, killing several officers and civilians. Police fire into the crowd, causing further casualties. The event becomes a defining moment in American labor history, shaping debates over workers’ rights, policing, and political radicalism.

1970 — National Guard Kills Four Students at Kent State University

During protests against the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, National Guard troops open fire on unarmed students at Kent State University in Ohio. Four are killed and nine wounded. The tragedy shocks the nation, intensifies antiwar sentiment, and forces a reckoning over the government’s handling of dissent. Photographs of the aftermath become defining images of the era.

Mary Ann Vecchio gestures and screams as she kneels by the body of a student lying face down on the campus of Kent State University on May 4, 1970. 

John Filo/AP