Congratulations and shout out to student winners Samuel Olagunju of Ni River Middle School and Vince Edwards of Independence Middle School for their essays entered in the Encyclopedia Virginia and Library of Virginia Middle School Essay Contest! Students were asked to write a 400-word petition to Virginia’s General Assembly – learn more about the right to petition through resources at the Library of Virginia and Encyclopedia Virginia below. Keep an eye out for more student contests sponsored our friends and fellow Virginia Humanities program, Encyclopedia Virginia!
The Library of Virginia’s Legislative Petitions Collection includes almost 25,000 petitions sent to the General Assembly between 1776 and 1865. Some of these petitions are on display until November 19, 2022, in the Library’s current exhibition, Your Humble Petitioner. For more information about legislative petitions visit the Your Humble Petitioner webpage, watch a 5-minute video on the collection, search “petition” at Document Bank of Virginia, or take a look at our catalogue guide.
Encyclopedia Virginia provides a free, reliable, multimedia resource that tells the inclusive story of Virginia for students, teachers, and communities who seek to understand how the past informs the present and the future. Resources on the Revolution and Early Republic era are available online, with additional content coming soon.
