Your Humble Petitioner: Legislative Petitions Gave Voice to Virginians
Monday, February 7, 2022–Saturday, November 19, 2022
Exhibition Gallery and Lobby
Free

Personal stories of Virginians can be found in the Library’s Legislative
Petitions Collection. During the years between the American Revolution and
the Civil War, Virginians submitted petitions to the General Assembly to
bring local or personal issues to the attention of their legislators. The
Library’s collection of nearly 25,000 petitions reveals how Virginians
communicated their concerns on a wide range of topics. To obtain legal
permission to operate a ferry, maintain a tavern, or carry out many other
activities, residents of the commonwealth were required to introduce a
petition into the House of Delegates to begin the process of acceptance or
rejection. The right to petition was not restricted by class, race, or
sex. *Your
Humble Petitioner* highlights petitions that involved deeply personal
issues such as divorce and requests by emancipated Black people to remain
in the commonwealth, offering a glimpse into the realities of 18th- and
19th-century life.

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This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).