Ocean State Libraries

Over the past twenty years, the politics and the political culture of Rhode Island have changed significantly, and this book is designed to provide a comprehensive update on the always fascinating story of politics and government in the Ocean State. The authors recount the multiple factors that have strengthened our commitment to more efficiency, equity, and transparency as politics continue to shift in ways that appear to be less individualistic...

The remarkable story of the bloody conflict that erupted in 1841 Rhode Island over allowing non-property owners to vote.
 
The portly Rhode Island aristocrat was hardly the image of the people’s champion—but in 1841, Thomas Dorr became just that. At a time when only white male landowners could vote, the idealistic Dorr envisioned a more democratic state.
 
In October of that year, the People’s...