VA250: Ideas in Action

This handwritten Legislative Petition begins with by addressing the Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates

The Library of Virginia is excited to partner with the American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) on a project to engage Virginia’s citizens with the ideas and experiences of those living in the Revolutionary era. The “Ideas in Action: Virginians Petition their Government, 1776-1786” project focuses primarily on two kinds of documents:

  • Legislative Petitions served as the official means for Virginians to request assistance from their elected representatives on issues such as religious freedom, compensation for losses incurred during the war, emancipation from enslavement, and other local and personal matters.
  • Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions provided detailed testimony from veterans and their families of their Revolutionary War service, including dates and locations that the soldier entered service, the names of their commanders, the battles in which they fought, wounds received, and names of fellow soldiers.

Together these documents capture individual and community stories from across the Commonwealth during the Revolutionary era. Library staff provide regional history talks and lead crowdsourcing events across the state to deepen engagement with and access to the stories in these documents. These events will highlight local historical records that reveal the interests and concerns of Virginians during the formation of their democracy.

The UncommonWealth blog logo with subtitle "Voices from the Library of Virginia"

The UncommonWealth

Learn more about the Ideas in Action project, Legislative Petitions, and Pension Declarations in the UncommonWealth blog. Subscribe to the blog to receive the latest updates about the Ideas in Action project as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of independence in Virginia.

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Rediscover Your Community’s Revolutionary Stories

The Library of Virginia wants to bring your local area’s Revolutionary history to you through: 

  • Access to firsthand accounts by residents during the Revolutionary era, including legislative petitions, narratives, maps, wills and more 
  • Regional history presented by a Library expert to share and contextualize those accounts 
  • Transcribe-a-thons, where YOU can be a part of transcribing records to preserve your community’s history 
  • Other custom programs tailored to your local 250th commemorations 

Interested in bringing these stories to your community? Fill out the interest form below or lva250@lva.virginia.gov to start the conversation.