February Monthly Meeting 2002
February Monthly Meeting 2002
Our speaker this month was Vincent Mancuso, Assistant Principal and history teacher at Bishop Hendricken High school. His subject was "Rhode Island and Constitutional Rights" and his objective was to show that our state was unique from the very beginning and still is today.
On May 4, 1776 Rhode Island took a bold step it was first among the colonies to end allegiance to the King. The vote did not actually declare independence but it came close to it. When the colonies assembled at the Constitutional Convention, Rhode Island was the only colony that did not send representatives. Eventually we became the 13th state to be ratified but there were still many disgruntled people who felt that their rights were being challenged and those feelings were registered at the ballot box. For example in Coventry the vote to ratify the Constitution was 180 against and 0 in favor and the vote in many other communities resulted in nearly the same ratio.
The greatest issue of rights in Rhode Island surfaced in the 1840's with the Dorr War. Thomas Wilson Dorr was a prosperous man who enjoyed all the privileges of his station in life but felt compelled to take on a mission of extending the suffrage to all. At that time the only group that could call for a Constitutional Convention was the legislature. (Today the Secretary of State also has the option of putting it on the ballot once every ten years.) The General Assembly had called a Constitutional Convention in 1824 and 1834 but it was basically only for show. By the 1840's Dorr had become frustrated by the political subterfuge and had enough supporters to begin the push. His campaign ended in disaster and he was sentenced to life in prison. The case became a political issue in the next gubernatorial election and he was released after one year. He left the state an emotionally and spiritually broken man. Mr. Mancuso bemoans the fact that this event, the most publicized constitutional case in American history prior to the Civil War, is not even mentioned in the history textbooks studied in Rhode Island schools. (The story is far more complicated thatn appears here so for those interested in the case there are books available at the library. Mr. Mancuso recommends Marvin Gettleman, The Door Rebellion : A Study in American Radicalism.)
What is even more relevant to our own time and unique to Rhode Island, is that our legislature has supremacy over all the other branches of government. We are the only state that does not have a clear and distinct separation of powers. In order to change the situation, our charter states that we must hold a Constitutional Convention question on the ballot to re-address the separation of powers. Since that time not one word has been heard from the legislature about the issue. No matter how people vote whether it be an issue that concerns one community or the entire state the ultimate decision in Rhode Island rest with the General Assembly.
The above excerpts are just a few of the interesting and educational facts Mr. Mancuso shared with us about Rhode Island's rich history. He firmly believes that for good government the citizenery must be informed. It should begin with our schools which are required by law to teach state history and government. The last year the legislature ordered a history textbook for use in public schools was 1957. Our history book need to be updated.
Mr. Mancuso recommends the following books on RI History.