About the Petitions

Petitions to state legislatures address a myriad of topics, including individual requests for emancipation, campaigns demanding the total abolition of slavery, and complaints about the activities of free blacks. Most petitions have a common format.

The first item of a petition is typically a salutation to the legislative body to which it is addressed.

In most cases petitions were handwritten, but sometimes a printed petition form was used. In the case of handwritten petitions, the formality of the language and script may serve as an indicator of the petitioner's level of literacy.

The body of the petition generally contains an explanation of the case. Often, petitioners wished to bring a grievance to the attention of the legislature. On other occasions, an individual sought exemption from a particular law. Sometimes, a group of citizens submitted a petition or testimonial to support another petitioner's request. In each of these instances petitioners sought to convince the legislature of the justness and validity of their plea.

In addition to a statement of grievances, a petition often includes a proposal for corrective action or remedy. Often an individual petitioner asked the legislature to enact a law to solve a personal dilemma. Such a law is formally known as a "private" act or statute.

Some petitions were broader in scope, requesting that the legislature pass a "public" statute affecting a state's entire population, such as petitions for the abolition of slavery. In many instances petitioners asked for direct intervention by state legislatures into matters that today are considered judicial responsibilities, such as the settlement of probate estates, marital relations, business arrangements, or rights of citizenship.

The signatures of petitioners are found at the end of the petition. In some cases literally hundreds of petitioners signed a single document. Many others were signed by ten or fifteen people. In a few instances one or two individuals signed on behalf of a large group of petitioners. If a petitioner were illiterate, someone else wrote the petition and signed for them.

Some petitions conclude with a docket page, indicating its official receipt by the state. The docket page identifies the date of submission, the addressee, and the number of petitioners as recorded by a legislative clerk.

Adapted from Race, Slavery, and Free Blacks: Petitions to Southern Legislatures: A Guide to the Microfilm Edition.