Legislative Petitions – The UncommonWealth

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Peter Francisco, or “A Horse, A Horse, My Petition for A Horse”

I am a relatively new hire at the Library of Virginia, having joined in January of this year as the coordinator of a VA250-funded project,…

Eric JohnsonMarch 16, 2026

Archives Digital Projects

“Your Humble Petitioner”: William Caswell’s Success Against the Odds

Katie Drash Mapes, history graduate student at VCU and museum educator with Preservation Virginia, shares what she discovered about William Caswell, a free Black man,…

Guest ContributorMay 20, 2024

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

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Guns, Ships, and Petitions for Payment

The partnership between the French and the Continental Army during the American Revolution has been long celebrated and venerated. A prime example is the Marquis…

Emeline AlexanderJuly 20, 2022

Archives Digital Projects

A Case Study of Freedom: John Hopes

Nearly a week and a half ago, the country celebrated Juneteenth, which commemorates emancipation from slavery in the United States. Juneteenth refers to the historic…

Lydia NeurothJune 29, 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

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Black Businesses in Antebellum Virginia

During the antebellum period in Virginia, enslaved men and women who gained their freedom did have the potential to enter into their own business and…

Robert HinesJuly 15, 2020

Archives

The High Cost of Entertainment: Chang and Eng Go to the General Assembly

One of the more unusual stories found within the Library of Virginia’s collections involves the celebrated conjoined twin brothers Chang and Eng. Better known as…

Tom CrewOctober 23, 2019

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Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Legislative Petitions for Divorce

In this age of no-fault divorce, it is hard to imagine that from 1776 to 1826 the only means of divorce in Virginia was by…

Bill BynumAugust 29, 2018

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Virginia Untold: Petitions to Remain

As told in an earlier blog, James Dunlop of Petersburg emancipated his slave, John Brown, in April 1822 through a deed of manumission. One would…

Greg CrawfordFebruary 15, 2017

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A Last Resort: Madison County Reenslavement Petitions

In 1856, the General Assembly decided that free African Americans could petition their county or city court to be enslaved. These individuals had to be…

Cara GriggsJanuary 11, 2017

Archives Education & Programming

“Let Jews, Mehometans, and Christians of every Denomination Enjoy Religious Liberty”

Religious liberty is a hot button issue during this year’s presidential campaign. Should a religious test be applied for the purpose of denying Muslims entrance…

Greg CrawfordMarch 30, 2016

Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Island Formerly Known as 314

This summer’s announcement that Mayo’s Island is again for sale prompted a look back at the history of of the most well-known of the James River islands.…

Cassandra FarrellNovember 14, 2014

Archives Digital Projects

Digital Images of All Legislative Petitions Now Available on Virginia Memory

The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that the final batch of digital images of legislative petitions to the Virginia General Assembly, 1776-1865, is now…

Greg CrawfordJune 11, 2014

Archives Digital Projects

Latest Digital Images of Legislative Petitions Now Available

Digital images of Legislative Petitions to the Virginia General Assembly, 1776 to 1865, from Bath County through Essex County are now available on Virginia Memory, the Library…

Bari HelmsOctober 18, 2013