On October 14th, author Michael Cecere spoke on his book Spark of Independence: The American Revolution in the Northern Colonies, 1775–1776. During the lecture, Cecere discussed the reaction of the American colonies to the outbreak of war in Massachusetts in 1775, and he highlighted key events that occurred 250 years ago – with an emphasis on Rhode Island.

Spark of Independence is the third and final book in his Independence Trilogy. This series answers the question: what happened in the thirteen colonies after bloodshed erupted in April 1775 at Lexington and Concord until independence was declared in July 1776? Ceceres relies on primary source documents to explore both the well-known and lesser-known clashes during those 15 months, and how these events contributed to the growing support across the colonies for independence from Great Britain.