Mari Julienne – The UncommonWealth

“Declare the United Colonies free and independent”

Virginia's fifth Revolutionary Convention began on May 6, 1776, the same day that the House of Burgesses gathered as a body for the last time.…

Mari JulienneMay 13, 2026

Education & Programming

“A Fashionable Suit of Tar and Feathers”

One August day in 1775, Anthony Warwick found himself surrounded by a group of patriots angered by his refusal to stop importing and selling British…

Mari JulienneAugust 13, 2025

Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“A long step” in the Complicated History of Equal Rights for Women in Virginia

One hundred years ago this month, the Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in Congress. After women had succeeded in their fight for voting rights…

Mari JulienneDecember 8, 2023

Digital Projects Manuscripts & Special Collections

“So that later a history of the movement can be written”: Equal Suffrage League of Virginia Records Are Now Online

In celebration of Women's History Month, the Library of Virginia is excited to announce that the records of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia are…

Mari JulienneMarch 1, 2023

Archives Education & Programming

“That the Oppressed May Go Free” : A Petition to the Virginia General Assembly for Religious Freedom

During the summer of 1776, members of Virginia's last Revolutionary Convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Among the principles of representative government and fundamental…

Mari JulienneSeptember 21, 2022

Archives Education & Programming

Two Revolutionary War Petitions

For hundreds of years, Virginians have had the right to petition their government. Unlike the right to vote or hold public office during the 18th…

Mari JulienneMarch 9, 2022

Education & Programming

Columbia Pike Exhibit Turns the Lens on Vibrant Northern Virginia Region

The Library of Virginia's current exhibition, Columbia Pike: Through the Lens of Community, highlights the vibrant and diverse community of Columbia Pike in Arlington County.…

Mari JulienneJanuary 5, 2022

Archives Education & Programming

“Her prospects of election”: Virginia Women Run for Office

"The political woman will be a menace," warned anti-suffragists during the campaign for women's voting rights. Not only would women in politics threaten the family…

Mari JulienneMarch 3, 2021

Education & Programming

Strong Men & Women in Virginia History Honored for Black History Month

African Americans and people of African descent have been a part of Virginia’s—and America’s—story since European colonization of the North American continent began. Yet the…

Mari JulienneFebruary 19, 2021

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“Banded together for civic betterment” : The Virginia League of Women Voters

With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the achievement of woman suffrage, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia closed down its operations in the…

Mari JulienneDecember 16, 2020

Manuscripts & Special Collections

“Banded together for civic betterment”: The Virginia League of Women Voters

With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the achievement of woman suffrage, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia closed down its operations in the…

Mari JulienneNovember 11, 2020

Archives Education & Programming Manuscripts & Special Collections

“A day of triumph and dignity”: Virginia Women Vote in 1920

Virginia women went to the polls for the first time on 2 November 1920, a cool and cloudy day across the commonwealth. After the Nineteenth…

Mari JulienneNovember 2, 2020

Archives Education & Programming

“Really and truly a citizen”: Virginia Women Register to Vote in 1920

After Tennessee ratified the Nineteenth Amendment in August 1920, Virginia women began registering to vote. As a result of the "Machinery Bill" passed by the…

Mari JulienneSeptember 16, 2020

Education & Programming

“When Victory Really Came” : Virginia Women Who Fought for the Vote

On 18 August 1920, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, which was officially proclaimed on August 26. Although Virginia's General Assembly…

Mari JulienneAugust 19, 2020

Manuscripts & Special Collections

“Shoulder to Shoulder on the Picket Line”: Virginia Women Fight for Voting Rights

"I have been kept from the privilege of incoming or outgoing mail for over the past week and am now locked in a small cell…

Mari JulienneJuly 22, 2020