Petitions to the General Assembly
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223
Contact information: phone number
001 803 896 6196
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
Reference number
S 165015
Type of reference number
Call number
Title (official language of the state)
Petitions to the General Assembly
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
General Assembly
Date(s)
1776/1883
Date note
Bulk: 1782/1866
Language(s)
eng
Extent
20.78 linear metres and 109 microfilm reels
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This series forms part of the records of the General Assembly and consists of written requests from state citizens submitted to the General Assembly, requesting the Assembly to use its authority to redress a particular wrong. Some of the matters regularly considered were: divorce (which only they could grant), freedom for an owner's slaves, the amount of education a slave could receive, proper observance of the Sabbath, and citizens' upkeep of the roads near their residences. More comprehensive subjects of petitions include the legal system; penal system; legislative system; slavery; internal improvements; inland navigation; religion; incorporation of churches, societies, and companies; military matters; elections; education; foreign affairs; Indian affairs; relations with other states; state finance; and banking.
Petitions are in manuscript form, although there are also a few printed petitions. Information includes the issue, requested redress, and signature of the petitioner(s). There may be as few as one signer or as many as several hundred. The petition was usually submitted to the legislator of the petitioner's district of residence, who, in turn, presented the petition to the General Assembly for consideration.
This series includes some petitions presented by or related to the Jewish community of Charleston, such as the following examples:
Year 1791, item 14: Petition by the wardens and elders of the Jewish Congregation in Charleston asking that they be allowed to incorporate. January 7, 1791.
Year 1852, items 13 and 23: Petition by the trustees of the Jewish Congregation of Shearith Israel in Charleston opposing the petition of Congregation Beth Elohim to be vested with the Jewish burial ground in Charleston. November 30, 1852.
Petitions are in manuscript form, although there are also a few printed petitions. Information includes the issue, requested redress, and signature of the petitioner(s). There may be as few as one signer or as many as several hundred. The petition was usually submitted to the legislator of the petitioner's district of residence, who, in turn, presented the petition to the General Assembly for consideration.
This series includes some petitions presented by or related to the Jewish community of Charleston, such as the following examples:
Year 1791, item 14: Petition by the wardens and elders of the Jewish Congregation in Charleston asking that they be allowed to incorporate. January 7, 1791.
Year 1852, items 13 and 23: Petition by the trustees of the Jewish Congregation of Shearith Israel in Charleston opposing the petition of Congregation Beth Elohim to be vested with the Jewish burial ground in Charleston. November 30, 1852.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically by year and there under by assigned number, with the items bearing no contemporary recording of date (N.D. or No Date items) filed separately and there under by assigned number. Oversized items are also filed and microfilmed separately.
Access, restrictions
Records of this series are available on microfilm.
Finding aids
The entire series is indexed at the item level to personal names, geographic locations, and topics in the repository's On-line Index to Legislative Papers, 1782-1866. Most of this series is indexed at the item level in a fifteen-reel computer-output-microfilm (COM) Index to Legislative Papers made available by the repository in 1991.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2023
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Department of Archives and History | Collections (official language of the state) |