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Context
On January 20, 1843, a petition from residents of King William County was presented to the House of Delegates. The men who signed it asked the General Assembly to sell the lands that the royal government had set aside for the Pamunkey Indians by treaties signed in the 17th century. The "freeholders and other white inhabitants" argued that "the claims of the Indians no longer exist," because the residents of the reserved land had intermarried with free African Americans and escaped slaves in the area and thus could no longer claim to be members of the Pamunkey tribe by Virginia laws at that time. As members of a "slave holding community," the signers feared that their safety was endangered by these nearby communities of free Black men and women, who they described as "generally idle and vagrant." The petitioners also complained that the reservation residents did not pay taxes and that they were allowed to select their own "headmen," or tribal leaders. The petitioners demanded that the land be sold and the proceeds given to any Pamunkey who could document their status.
The Pamunkey responded with a counter petition refuting the arguments of the King William County residents. The House of Delegates referred the petition for the sale of land to the Committee for Courts of Justice, which rejected it in March 1843. The Pamunkey were able to retain their land, and the two tracts of land described in the petition are today the Pamunkey Indian Reservation and Mattaponi Indian Reservation.
Petitions to the General Assembly were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, manumission of slaves, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation were just some of the concerns expressed by Virginians to their legislators in these petitions. The right to petition was not restricted by class, race, or sex. Learn more about Legislative Petitions in the Library's online Research Guide.
Citation: Freeholders Petition, January 20, 1843, King William County, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection, Library of Virginia.
See the Document Bank entry for the Pamunkey Counter-Petition.
The Pamunkey responded with a counter petition refuting the arguments of the King William County residents. The House of Delegates referred the petition for the sale of land to the Committee for Courts of Justice, which rejected it in March 1843. The Pamunkey were able to retain their land, and the two tracts of land described in the petition are today the Pamunkey Indian Reservation and Mattaponi Indian Reservation.
Petitions to the General Assembly were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, manumission of slaves, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation were just some of the concerns expressed by Virginians to their legislators in these petitions. The right to petition was not restricted by class, race, or sex. Learn more about Legislative Petitions in the Library's online Research Guide.
Citation: Freeholders Petition, January 20, 1843, King William County, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection, Library of Virginia.
See the Document Bank entry for the Pamunkey Counter-Petition.
Standards
USI.1, USI.9, VUS.1, VUS.6
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Looking at Language: Look at the language and words used in the petition. What does it tell you about the people who wrote it? What does it tell you about the audience?
Post Activities
Up for Debate: While acknowledging the concerns of the white citizens of King William County, make a case why the General Assembly should not sell the Pamunkey land.
In Their Shoes: Pretend you are a reporter following this petition case. Write a story for your local readers explaining the petition and its possible outcomes.
Looking at Language: Look at the language and words used in the petition. What does it tell you about the people who wrote it? What does it tell you about the audience?
Post Activities
Up for Debate: While acknowledging the concerns of the white citizens of King William County, make a case why the General Assembly should not sell the Pamunkey land.
In Their Shoes: Pretend you are a reporter following this petition case. Write a story for your local readers explaining the petition and its possible outcomes.