Lecture: Governor in Exile: Thomas Wilson Dorr and Granite State Politics

Description

In the early 1840s, Rhode Islanders demanded the expansion of voting rights, which was denied to them under the state’s old charter. Led by a reformist politician named Thomas Wilson Dorr, the movement for expanded rights became known as Dorr’s Rebellion. For a time, Rhode Island had two competing state governments, with Dorr serving as governor of one of them. He ended up fleeing the state and came to New Hampshire, where he set up a “government in exile.” Join historian Erik Chaput as he discusses Dorr's months in New Hampshire during the rebellion that bears his name. Admission is free for Society members; $10 for nonmembers. No registration required.