View TEI
Introduction
Early in April 1842, the Charter government enacted a law often referred to as the Algerine Law, that made it a treasonable offense to take office under the People’s Constitution. As tensions mounted in Rhode Island, contradictory reports trickled in from the nation’s capital about President Tyler’s position. In this letter to Pearce, Dorr expresses fear that Tyler's Secretary of State, Daniel Webster, was orchestrating the use of federal power to put down the Suffrage men. The unnamed U.S. Senator that Dorr mentions that Burrington Anthony had heard from was likely Ohio’s William Allen.