SAMUEL WARD KING

In Rhode Island only land owners could vote. When most Americans were farmers and owned land, this was not an anti-democratic requirement, but Rhode Island developed very rapidly with the Industrial Revolution and the shipping and fishing industries. In 1841 60 percent of the adult males in Rhode Island could NOT vote. The non voters tended to be Catholic Immigrants and Black skilled freemen. Thomas Wilson Dorr of an old RI family called a “People’s Convention” which voted a “New Constitution eliminating the land ownership requirement. The regular government saw this as a rebellion and the Governor ordered the State Militia to take Dorr and his followers into custody. However, most of the militia were Catholics and they refused, Governor King asked President Tyler for Federal troops and was refused. Finally the “rebellion” fell apart and Dorr was captured and sent to prison for life. But the regular legislature having gotten the message, within a year passed a new constitution which gave all free males—white and black—the right to vote. Dorr was released from prison and a few years later was pardoned and returned his civil rights. Thus ended what is sometimes called Dorr’s Rebellion.

In Rhode Island only land owners could vote. When most Americans were farmers and owned land, this was not an anti-democratic requirement, but Rhode Island developed very rapidly with the Industrial Revolution and the shipping and fishing industries. In 1841 60 percent of the adult males in Rhode Island could NOT vote. The non voters tended to be Catholic Immigrants and Black skilled freemen. Thomas Wilson Dorr of an old RI family called a “People’s Convention” which voted a “New Constitution eliminating the land ownership requirement. The regular government saw this as a rebellion and the Governor ordered the State Militia to take Dorr and his followers into custody. However, most of the militia were Catholics and they refused, Governor King asked President Tyler for Federal troops and was refused. Finally the “rebellion” fell apart and Dorr was captured and sent to prison for life. But the regular legislature having gotten the message, within a year passed a new constitution which gave all free males—white and black—the right to vote. Dorr was released from prison and a few years later was pardoned and returned his civil rights. Thus ended what is sometimes called Dorr’s Rebellion.