Luther v. Borden

Dorr decided to take more decisive action. On 14 May 1842, he and his party tried to seize the arsenal in Providence, the state capital. The insurrection failed and Dorr fled from the state. Although there had been no actual violence during the insurrection, rumors flew that Dorr was going to invade the state. Fearful of invasion, the charter government declared martial law on 24 June 1842.

Dorr's movement soon collapsed, but not before it had helped to discredit the charter government. Finally, the old government called a constitutional convention, at which suffrage was broadened to some extent, though not to the extent that the Dorr forces had wanted. Meanwhile, across the nation, Dorr's own standing became a source of controversy. People questioned whether he was a patriot who wanted to expand democracy or a traitor who had threatened the lives, liberty, and property of his fellow citizens.

Eventually, Dorr was convicted of treason against the state of Rhode Island and sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor. Another pro-Dorr movement petitioned the Supreme Court to free Dorr, claiming that he had only been acting as the lawful governor of Rhode Island. The Supreme Court denied the petition, but Dorr was finally freed on 27 June 1845, under amnesty granted by the Rhode Island legislature.