Season 3 Trailer

It’s May of 1842 and making its way through Cranston and into Providence is a train traveling on the Stonington line, a railroad that symbolizes the sweeping changes brought about by industrialization. Riding on that train is Thomas Wilson Dorr, a brilliant, 36 year old lawyer who's about to ignite one of the most disruptive events in Rhode Island history. While gazing out the window, Dorr notices a thick plume of smoke rising from a nearby textile mill. Making their way in and out of the mill is a group of people who represent a demographic Dorr’s about to go to war for, the state’s working class citizens. For years, he’s fought tirelessly to persuade the Rhode Island government to extend voting rights to these people, only to be rejected time and time again. And so, with peaceful efforts proving to be ineffective, Dorr and his working-class allies have decided that it’s time for more extreme measures. As the train nears Providence, the city fills with hundreds of armed factory workers ready to fight for a set of rights that have been kept from them for too long. Upon his arrival, Dorr will lead his working class supporters in an armed rebellion aimed at overthrowing the state government—a bold and dangerous move that will plunge Rhode Island into chaos and mark the peak of what is known today as the Dorr Rebellion. This monumental event illustrates the types of tensions that arise as Rhode Island becomes increasingly industrialized throughout the 19th century, a saga we’ll watch unfold in Season 3 of the The Story of Rhode Island Podcast.

To start our journey we’ll travel back to late 18th century Pawtucket, Rhode Island so that we can watch Samuel Slater team up with a group of determined Rhode Islanders to ignite the American Industrial Revolution. Then as the rate of industrialization begins to accelerate in the 19th century a new set of people will make their way to Rhode Island and forever change the state's demographic. Overtime, tensions will arise between these newcomers and the state’s conservative ruling class, resulting in years of political instability, an armed rebellion and the unjust execution of an Irish immigrant named John Gordon. Finally, just when it seems as though the state couldn't possibly be more divided, a sense of unity will be rediscovered when Rhode Islander teams up to help keep the Union intact during the Civil War. Season 3 will be a wild ride filled with inspirational highs and devastating lows but ultimately it will help you better understand a fascinating tale that I like to call The Story of Rhode Island. Enjoy season 3, coming to you May 4th!