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This collection comprises citizen petitions written to the legislatures of the Wisconsin Territory and later the State of Wisconsin, from 1836 to 1891. At the time, petitions were the only direct means for citizens to communicate with the government.
From requesting dams, roads, and money to build schoolhouses, to recording views on slavery, suffrage, and statehood, these petitions reveal what settlers wished to achieve for their communities, and the ways in which they hoped to connect Wisconsin to the expanding commerce and intellectual life of the United States. These petitions are mostly handwritten in blue and iron gall ink; most petitions comprise a title page, the petition itself, and signature pages.
For more information about this Collection, visit its Online Finding Aid and View the Online Collection.
The work of flattening, scanning, and describing these petitions was funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commissions (NHPRC) of the National Archives.
Works
All works are fully transcribed.
Petition for altering the charter of the village of Oconto
Petition for altering the charter of the village of Racine
Petition for altering the date of the Board of Supervisors of Racine County annual meeting
Petition for altering the District Court term in Rock County
Petition for altering the hunting season for ducks and geese
Petition for altering the law on how taxes are assessed on personal property
Petition for altering the law related to licensing the sale of intoxicating liquors
Petition for altering the law that regulates how taxes are assessed and collected
