Legislative petitions from 1776 to 1865 were a primary way for Virginians to express concerns and request legislation from the General Assembly on various issues. The petitions often contain hundreds of signatures and supplementary documents that make them useful for genealogical and historical research. Specifically, petitions related to slavery, free African Americans, and race relations are invaluable primary sources on these topics prior to the Civil War. Examples presented include a petition to import slaves from Maryland, a request for compensation for a slave's Revolutionary War service, and citizens demanding the legislature address their fears about the growing free black population after Nat Turner's revolt.