Your Humble Petitioner: Legislative Petitions Gave Voice to Virginians
On view through November 19, 2022
Free and open to the public. Free parking is available below the Library at 800 East Broad Street.
Imagine having to explain to the House of Delegates why you want to divorce your spouse, or change your name, or take other actions that affect your life. Virginians had to do just that for nearly a century. Their stories can be found in the Library's Legislative Petitions Collection.
The Library's collection of nearly 25,000 petitions reveals how Virginians communicated their concerns on a wide range of topics. Your Humble Petitioner: Legislative Petitions Gave Voice to Virginians 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.
- Calendar:
- LVA Exhibitions
- Date:
- Tuesday, May 17, 2022
- Time:
- 9:00am - 5:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Gallery
- Audience: