The Dorr Rebellion: A Movement to Gain Suffrage

EROSTIN LUSHKA SENIOR DIVISION INDIIDUAL WEBSITE

Lushka 2 Annotated Bibliography Primary Sources Buhle, Paul, Scott Molloy, and Gail Sansbury. A History of Rhode Island Working People. Providence, RI: [Institute for Labor Studies and Research], 1983. Print. This source talks about the economy of Rhode Island before the Dorr Rebellion and gives some background information about what led to it. It quoted interesting statistics on what percentage of men were able to vote at the time. Additionally, the book presented a short excerpt from the new state constitution that was written as a result after the Dorr Rebellion ended. Chaput, Erik, Dr, and Christine M. Landry. "Dorr Rebellion - Phillips Memorial Library." Dorr Rebellion - Main | Phillips Memorial Library. Phillips Memorial Library, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://library.providence.edu/dps/projects/dorr/index.html>. The Dorr Rebellion project was conceived by Dr. Erik Chaput and Christiane Marie Landry with an aim to develop an authoritative online educational resource on the Dorr Rebellion and to engage in new forms of discourse. The short documentary created by this collaboration was based on the correspondence and letters of Thomas Wilson Dorr. It gave me insight his goals and strategies to achieve success in requesting voting rights for all white males without any ownership requirement. Chaput, Erik J. The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and His 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas, 2013. Print. This book from Erik Chaput provided me with background information on Thomas Dorrs life. It includes accounts from Dorrs close associates in the Rebellion and other people who witnessed it. This helped me figure out the character of Thomas Dorr and what led him to rebel against what he called the injustices left over from a decayed kingdom. Coleman, Peter J. The Transformation of Rhode Island, 1790-1860. Providence: Brown UP, 1963. Print. This source provided me with a description of the Dorr Rebellion itself, its progress and its outcome. It presented accounts from members of the Dorr crew as well as thoughts from those defending the sovereignty of the state. It helped me understand the motivation behind each of the groups involved, both the anarchists and those trying to preserve order. Dennison, George M. The Dorr War: Republicanism on Trial, 1831-1861. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 1976. Print. As the movement went to the Supreme Court, an important, longtime decision was made by the court that would enforce the essentially conservative nature of the court. This source provided a copy document of the ruling from that court case. This helped understand the decision better and would be a precedent case for future court cases concerning critical issues such as war and revolution.

Lushka 3 Dorr, Thomas W. "The Dorr War: Thomas W. Dorr Addresses the People of Rhode Island." Digital History. Gilder Lehrman Institute, 19 May 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3>. Dorrs speech from the Peoples Convention in 1841 outlines the objectives and aims of the movement which was to gain universal suffrage for all white males with no ownership requirements. The details in his speech served to inform me about the movement itself while the ideas in his speech gave me perspective on what were the objectives and aims of the suffrage movement that were presented at the convention. Mowry, Arthur May. The Dorr War; Or, The Constitutional Struggle in Rhode Island,. Providence, RI: Preston & Rounds, 1901. Print. The Peoples Convention was opposed by state legislators who considered it unconstitutional. This lead to the movement erupting into a rebellion with Dorr on one side and the state militia on the other side. This book provided me with insight from a legal perspective on the movement and how this impacted the development to an armed rebellion. Raven, Rory. The Dorr War: Treason, Rebellion & the Fight for Reform in Rhode Island. Charleston, SC: History, 2010. Print. As the rebellion was progressing, an attack was launched on the arsenal on Providence, Rhode Island and then shifted to Chepachet, Rhode Island as the rebels retreated there after being defeated in the first place. This source gave me a clearer idea of the places and stages on which the armed conflicts of the rebellion took place. Tyler, John. "John Tyler: Dorr's Rebellion." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <https://www.britannica.com/presidents/article-9398258>. This speech was made by the President at the time, John Tyler who underlined the importance of crushing this rebellion. In his speech, I was made aware of a very important issue that rose from this rebellion. The issue deals with whether the people can rise up against their current government if they feel like it is not doing a good job governing them. Williamson, Chilton. American Suffrage from Property to Democracy. 1760-1860. New Jersey: Princeton U.P., 1968. Print. This book quoted Article 4, Section 4 from the US Constitution which was the base for the requests of the Dorr movement. I was able to get a better idea on the extent of how lawful their requests were and the legal motivation behind it. Secondary Sources Coletta, Edmund. "1833-1849: The Dorr Rebellion." Libcom.org. Libcom.org, 8 Sept. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://libcom.org/history/dorr-rebellion-1833-1849>. This source was helpful because it provided a lot of information on the Peoples Convention of 1841. It also provided insight and background information on how the

Lushka 4 people reacted to the movement, who supported it, what classes they came from and who was on the opposite side protesting it. Davis, Hadassah, and Natalie Robinson. History You Can See. Providence: Rhode Island Publications Society, 1986. Print. This book provided me with information on the aftermath and aftereffects of the Dorr Rebellion on the state of Rhode Island and the new state Constitution that resulted from it which extended suffrage to all native-born male citizens. It helped me reach conclusions about the effectiveness of the Dorr Rebellion and whether it was successful overall in the big picture. Jeremiah, Steven. "1839-1846: The Anti-Renter Movement." Libcom.org. Libcom.org, 12 Oct. 2006. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. <http://libcom.org/history/articles/anti-renter-movement-18391846>. This source was particularly helpful in defining the Anti-Renter Movements that preceded the Dorr Rebellion. It helped me understand previous movements and how they influenced and inspired the ideals which Dorr emphasized in his speech addressing the people of Rhode Island. Liptalk, Adam. "Supreme Court Invalidates Key Part of Voting Rights Act." The New York Times. NYTimes, 25 June 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/supreme-court-ruling.html>. This article from the New York Times provided me with information about the long lasting effects of the Dorr Rebellion. The source provides elaborate information on how the Supreme Court ruling that resulted from the Dorr Rebellion still holds true today. Wrede, Phil. "CU Libraries News." CU Libraries News. University of Colorado Boulder, 17 July 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. <http://libpress.colorado.edu/?p=2618>. This online article published by the University of Colorado Boulder provided me with food for thought. It raises the question on how do we deal today with voting rights given the diverse population of immigrants living in the United States that though are paying taxes are still not able to vote due to the lack of citizenship. I tried to apply the principles and lessons learned from the Dorr Movement to answer the So What? question that concerns todays times.