Thomas Dorr

Thomas Dorr was a 19th-century American lawyer and politician known for leading a movement to expand voting rights in Rhode Island. Frustrated by the state's restrictive voting laws that mainly favored property owners, he organized an insurgent government called the "People's Party" in 1842, aiming to bring democratic reforms. His efforts led to a brief, violent conflict known as the Dorr Rebellion. Although he was eventually imprisoned, Dorr's activism highlighted issues of suffrage and democracy, contributing to broader political reforms in the United States.