Few states are as history-mad as Rhode Island, and yet for many people growing up in the Ocean State, the study of Rhody's role in the formation of America has always boiled down to an anecdote about an exiled Boston Puritan canoeing across the Seekonk River to be met by Narragansett Indians with the greeting, "What cheer, netop?"

Somehow in the epochs of Colonial, Revolutionary, Civil War, Industrial Revolution and succeeding generations that defined American culture, Rhode Island's role in the areas of settler-native relations, slave trade, religious tolerance, manufacturing innovations and the evolution of the country got lost in the local dialogue, rarely taught in schools, only dusted off now and then at one of the state's many historical societies.

But that's changing. The past decade has seen a resurgence of popular interest in local history as part of a wider cultural fascination with looking back during an age when The History Channel and the documentary form have entered the public consciousness.

In that spirit, two new books published by The History Press, a Charleston, S.C.-based publisher that specializes in local histories written by local enthusiasts, add to the growing collective of Rhody introspection. Both "The Dorr War: Treason, Rebellion & The Fight for Reform in Rhode Island" by Rory Raven and "Rhode Island's Founders: From Settlement to Statehood" by Patrick T. Conley offer those Rhode Islanders curious about the state's quirky past a rich contextual foundation for further historical exploration.

Rediscovering Dorr

Raven's entertaining narrative of the "short and portly Rhode Island aristocrat" in the 1840s who became the people's champion, envisioning a more democratic state at a time when only white male landowners could vote, adds to the increased scrutiny of Dorr in recent years as an American original. Marjorie Kelly, in her explosive examination of capitalism as currently practiced in America, "The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy," writes:

"How many of us remember Thomas Dorr? Dorr was a hero in the fight for white male suffrage in Rhode Island, where property restrictions once kept more than half of adult males from voting. In the Dorr Rebellion of 1842, the disenfranchised rose up and created their own "People's Constitution" - mandating universal suffrage for white males - and elected Dorr as their governor. This put Rhode Island in the awkward position of having two governors, until President Tyler stepped in to crush the rebellion. Dorr was sentenced to life imprisonment (which lasted one year). But his cause was soon triumphant: in 1843, state suffrage provisions in Rhode Island were liberalized. By the 1850s, wealth restrictions on the vote were abolished in virtually all states. Thomas Dorr ought to be as well known as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. But he's not, because the history of wealth discrimination is lost in collective amnesia."

Raven puts the Dorr War in context, dutifully chronicling the economic and cultural conditions of Rhode Island at the time Dorr shocked his Whig family by challenging the prevailing powers, reaching back to the Rhode Island Colony's original charter as inspiration. The book is filled with vivid details and amusing anecdotes:

"The Dorrs lived in a large mansion on Benefit Street that still stands today. The apple orchard out back was a frequent target of the local boys, who often stole apples, as well as the site of Roger Williams's original grave. Williams's remains, consumed by the roots of a nearby apple tree, were exhumed and relocated many years later."

Some of most entertaining passages bring light to the day when Rhode Island had two governors, and Dorr and his band marched with great fanfare up to the Rhode Island State House, only to find the doors locked and no way to get in. Dorr considered breaking in, but was talked out of the action (perhaps as being something unfit for a governor to attempt).

The "war" itself is also described in a highly entertaining manner. While converging on an arsenal in Providence, the Dorrites had two cannons, which "according to legend, had been seized from British General Burgoyne after his defeat at Saratoga during the Revolution. How they ended up in Rhode Island is unclear to say the least." During the siege, both cannons failed, causing most of the Dorrites to disperse and requiring those remaining to retreat. Later, when the state's forces tracked down Dorr in Chepachet, they expected to meet his troops on Acote's Hill, but the Dorrites had already abandoned their encampment.

"Now, when they should have been rounding up Dorr and his fellow conspirators, the Algerine army found nothing but an empty hilltop. The people's governor had eluded them, robbing them of their expected triumph."

The Algerines, still angered and frustrated by the lack of a fight, went to a local tavern and, by all accounts, acted like a British rock band from the 1960s on tour: "The soldiers proceeded to eat Sprague out of house and home, devouring food as fast as they could demand its preparation. They also took over his stables and barns, including, of course, his own horses, and helped themselves to literally tons of the feed he had in his stores … In what was rather grandiosely referred to as 'the sacking of Chepachet,' it was seen that the Algerines' behavior at Sprague's was not at all unusual. They helped themselves to various articles of household silver, a cookstove and even a set of 'lasting garters' belonging to one Ripsy Tift."

Details like this fuel Raven's engaging narrative. At one point we learn that the most important political event in the state was a classic Rhode Island clambake. At another we find out that, as a prisoner, Dorr was held in solitary confinement and was kept at hard labor, which meant painting fans all day - some of the fans he painted are now in the collection at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.

The author also describes the relative lack of Dorr references in the state: "There is a Dorr Street in Providence; it is a dead end, and on my last visit, there was no street sign. And while an official portrait of Dorr was hung in the Rhode Island Statehouse some time ago, giving him his rightful place among the other governors honored there, that portrait has not been seen in many years, and no one seems to know where it has gotten to."

Most importantly, however, Raven documents one of those odd periods in history, similar to the years of Tory/Patriot and Union/Rebel Civil War sympathies, when neighbor was pitted against neighbor and hostilities were both local and personal, not an abstraction based upon an ideal. And he puts Dorr in his rightful place as a quirky individualist whose vision for Rhode Island was ahead of its time.

Rhode Islanders Reconsidered

Similarly, Conley in his book on "Rhode Island's Founders" fleshes out the significant personalities in Rhody's history in short, biographical sketches. Names that many Rhode Islanders know from driving on streets (Willet Avenue, Newman Avenue, Metacom Avenue) are brought back into the world of blood and bone as pioneers (Mayor and Capt. Thomas Willet, Rev. Samuel Newman, Chief Sachem Metacomet, aka King Philip), stabilizers and revolutionaries.

Conley also peppers his history with beguiling details for locals. His first entry, on explorer Giovanni Da Verrazzano, serves as an example:

"After anchoring in present-day Newport Harbor, he spent fifteen days exploring the entire Narragansett Bay region as far north as Pawtucket Falls. Displaying a sense of humor, Verrazzano allegedly named the Dumpling Rocks off Jamestown 'Petra Viva' for Marie Catherine de Pierre-Vive, the voluptuous wife of a banker who had helped fund his exploration. He called the bay 'Refugio.'"

Conley also points out that Verrazzano's favorable encounters with Rhode Island natives - likely Wampanoags - may have contributed to his eventual demise on a later voyage: "Apparently, he followed the chain of the Lesser Antilles and stopped at one of the islands, possibly Guadeloupe, where hostile Caribs seized, killed and then ate him. His 1524 experience with the hospitable Wampanoags perhaps influenced him to become easy prey."

Intriguing passages on Chief Sachem Massasoit (Ousamequin) of the Wampanoag and the dual chief sachems Canonicus and Miantonomi of the Narragansett provide fascinating glimpses into this pivotal time for Rhode Island, as Roger Williams required assistance and kindness from both tribes in order to set forth his "lively experiment."

"In the winter of 1635-36 the Wampanoag chief Massasoit sheltered the exile Roger Williams and in the spring the Narragansett sachems greeted him on the west bank of the Seekonk and allowed him to establish a settlement (Providence) on lands recently occupied as a result of the plague that had depopulated the Wampanoags.

"The original deed to Williams from Canonicus (who signed himself with a bow) and Miantonomi (who signed with an arrow) was executed on March 24, 1638. It confirmed earlier verbal grants. 'Not a penny was demanded by either,' wrote Williams. 'It was not price or money that could have purchased Rhode Island. Rhode Island was purchased by love.'"

Conley's kaleidoscopic look at the early story of Rhode Island is full of characters some familiar - like Williams, Anne Hutchinson, Nathanael Greene - and others less so, such as Silas Downer, whom Conley refers to as "Penman of the Revolution," author of the 1768 patriotic treatise "Discourse" that was delivered at the dedication of the Liberty Tree in Providence and Solomon Southwick, the "Patriot Printer" who served as editor of the weekly newspaper, Newport Mercury. Southwick advocated for American independence in a town that was a powder keg of conflicting emotions on the issue, with prominent Tories pitted against patriot mobs. The masthead of the Newport Mercury laid Southwick's sentiments bare: "Undaunted by Tyrants - we'll die or be Free." For his efforts, he was chosen as one of four hosts to welcome George Washington to Newport in August 1790, when the nation's first president returned to Rhode Island as a reward for the state finally ratifying the federal Constitution.

Both "The Dorr War" and "Rhode Island's Founders" are available for $19.99 from The History Press (www.historypress.net) and in Rhode Island sections at most area bookstores.