CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
Petitions to the General Assembly were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, freeing of enslaved peoples, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation issues were just some of the concerns expressed in these petitions. The petition seen here was submitted by residents of Fauquier County in November 1785 in response to concerns about a proposed bill to assess taxes in support of clergy and churches.
Since 1607 the Church of England (Anglican) had been the only sanctioned church in Virginia and was supported by tithes that Virginians were required to pay. Members of dissenting denominations, including Baptists, Presbyterians, and Quakers, faced harassment and fines and many sought to achieve the religious freedom put forth in Virginia's Declaration of Rights that was adopted in June 1776. When Virginia's General Assembly sat for the first time in October 1776, petitions began arriving to request relief from religious taxation, an end to laws supporting the Anglican Church, and in support of religious freedom. Thomas Jefferson drafted a bill to establish religious liberty in 1777, but it was not passed.
In 1784, the General Assembly considered a proposed assessment bill that would have applied to all denominations. The following year, thousands of Virginians signed petitions regarding the bill, most in opposition to the assessment of taxes to support religion. In Fauquier County, 125 men signed a petition asking the Assembly "that no assessment on account of Religion" be enacted. They argued that religion flourished best without any "Taxes or Confiscations or Compulsions of any Kind." The strong opposition to the assessment bill served to organize support for Jefferson's bill, which the General Assembly approved in 1786 as the Act for Establishing Religious Freedom.
Citation: Petition of the Inhabitants of Fauquier County, Fauquier County, 1785, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection, Library of Virginia.
Since 1607 the Church of England (Anglican) had been the only sanctioned church in Virginia and was supported by tithes that Virginians were required to pay. Members of dissenting denominations, including Baptists, Presbyterians, and Quakers, faced harassment and fines and many sought to achieve the religious freedom put forth in Virginia's Declaration of Rights that was adopted in June 1776. When Virginia's General Assembly sat for the first time in October 1776, petitions began arriving to request relief from religious taxation, an end to laws supporting the Anglican Church, and in support of religious freedom. Thomas Jefferson drafted a bill to establish religious liberty in 1777, but it was not passed.
In 1784, the General Assembly considered a proposed assessment bill that would have applied to all denominations. The following year, thousands of Virginians signed petitions regarding the bill, most in opposition to the assessment of taxes to support religion. In Fauquier County, 125 men signed a petition asking the Assembly "that no assessment on account of Religion" be enacted. They argued that religion flourished best without any "Taxes or Confiscations or Compulsions of any Kind." The strong opposition to the assessment bill served to organize support for Jefferson's bill, which the General Assembly approved in 1786 as the Act for Establishing Religious Freedom.
Citation: Petition of the Inhabitants of Fauquier County, Fauquier County, 1785, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection, Library of Virginia.
Standards
VS1, VS.6, US1.1, US1.7, CE.1, CE.2, VUS.1, VUS.5, GOVT.1, GOVT.2
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Scan It: Scan the transcription of the document. What word or phrases stand out to you? What do those word or phrases tell you about the people involved in writing the petition?
Post Activities
Analyze: What arguments are the petitioners making? What evidence do they provide?
Virginia Validation: The Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (also known as the Statute for Religious Freedom) is reflected in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Why did religion play such an important role in the early foundational documents of the country? How does religion still play a role in today’s political landscape?
Scan It: Scan the transcription of the document. What word or phrases stand out to you? What do those word or phrases tell you about the people involved in writing the petition?
Post Activities
Analyze: What arguments are the petitioners making? What evidence do they provide?
Virginia Validation: The Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (also known as the Statute for Religious Freedom) is reflected in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Why did religion play such an important role in the early foundational documents of the country? How does religion still play a role in today’s political landscape?