Final answer:
The boat burned by Rhode Island colonists in 1772 was the Gaspee, an incident that contributed to rising tensions leading up to the American Revolutionary War.
Step-by-step explanation:
The name of the boat that was burned in 1772 was the Gaspee. The Gaspee Affair involved Rhode Island colonists who boarded and torched the British revenue ship when it ran aground in Narragansett Bay. This defiant act against British authority fueled the escalating tensions that would eventually lead to the American Revolutionary War. Additionally, the response from the British government, which included the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry empowered to send American colonists to Britain for trial, was seen as an overreach and further aggravated the colonists.