Western Reserve Academy is thrilled to share the exciting news that Dr. Erik Chaput, Social Science faculty member, has recently co-authored an article published in Small State, Big History. This esteemed publication highlights significant historical narratives and research about Rhode Island. The article, which was released in conjunction with Black History Month, sheds light on a pivotal moment in the state’s history when Black leaders challenged systemic injustice.
Titled ‘Boasted Land of Freedom’: Rhode Island Black Leaders and the Early Black Convention Movement, 1830-1835”, the article was written by Chaput and Russell J. DeSimone. The piece explores a landmark event in early 1831 when prominent members of Providence’s Black community, including barber Alfred Niger, laborer George Willis and trader George McCarty, convened at the African Union Meeting House. These brave and bold individuals authored a powerful petition to the General Assembly, condemning Rhode Island’s taxation system, which imposed taxes on Black property owners while denying them the corresponding rights of voting and representation. The article not only celebrates the courage and determination of these historical figures but also highlights how their actions were part of a larger fight for civil rights in the North during the turbulent Jacksonian era.
This may be another on Chaput’s long list of publications, but we are immensely proud of this new body of work and moreover, his lifelong pursuit of contributing scholarship and illuminating stories deserving of reflection and recognition. His work exemplifies the mission of history education — to engage with the past in ways that inspire understanding and progress.
Please join us in congratulating Chaput on this remarkable accomplishment and in continuing to honor the rich and complex history of Rhode Island’s Black community.
