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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC01131 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1842 |
| Title | John Tyler to Elisha R. Potter regarding the Dorr controversy |
| Date | 20 May 1842 |
| Author | Tyler, John (1790-1862) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Written at the height of the Dorr controversy, when Thomas W. Dorr's followers who wanted to put a new Rhode Island state constitution in place to expand suffrage, illegally elected Dorr the governor. Tyler explains his response to the affair, his desire for amnesty, peace, and to undercut public sympathy for the Dorrites who invoked the right of rebellion. Concedes that "Dorr's recent proceedings have been so extravagant a character as allmost to extinguish the las hope of a peaceable result." Notes that the developments make it difficult for Rhode Island Governor Samuel Ward King to yield gracefully. The Dorr rebellion followed. Probably in the hand of one of Tyler's sons, John Jr. or Robert, who served as secretaries. Marked "private." Potter was a Rhode Island jurist and political leader. |
| Subjects | State Constitution Dorr Rebellion President Rebellion Suffrage Government and Civics Election Amnesty |
| People | Tyler, John (1790-1862) Potter, Elisha R. (Elisha Reynolds) (1811-1882) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | Government & Politics; The Presidency |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |