Saturday, April 30, 2005

The Dorr Event


Who knows anything about Rhode Island? Raise your hands. Thought so. Posted by Hello
I myself was limited to the "smallest state" "ocean state" school of knowledge until I moved here 4 years ago.
One of the most fascinating things I learned about this place was that it has a fabulous tough tradition of thumbing its nose at big government, as might be expected from a state founded by an exile looking for universal tolerance.
Why mention this in today's blog? Hey- the state just dedicated a wooden statue in the State House to Thomas W. Dorr- calling him, among other things, "a great figure in RIhistory." (That's his picture above.)
The wooden statue is based on a daguerreotype of the leader and shows him holding a copy of his "People's Constitution". This is a guy popped for treason for leading a rebellion against the state powers because he and his followers knew that the old rule that covered the state in the 1840's allowing only rich white landonwers and their first-born sons the right to vote was wrong. The sufferagists also knew that slavery was wrong and they weren't about to be part of a government that stood for it. So in May of 1842, 200 of them drew cannons along the streets and fired them at the arsenal. The attempt was a dud due to wet powder, though, and Dorr had to flee. He was sentenced to life imprisonment when he returned, though he only had to serve a year, and while he was gone, the state passed reform bills that allowed all native born male residents the right to vote.
And now he's declared a hero and stands among the other biggies and above some present suits, to remind us all that if he did the same thing today he's be declared a terrorist and would get a huge trial and wouldn't be let off after an easy year in the jug.

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