A Brief History of the Right to Petition
The right to petition is one of the oldest protections in Anglo-American law. It appears in the Magna Carta (1215) and was a core demand of English subjects seeking justice from the Crown. Colonists brought this tradition to America — the Declaration of Independence itself is a petition for redress of grievances against King George III.
When the Founders drafted the First Amendment in 1791, they placed the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” alongside freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly — making it one of the five pillars of liberty.
Throughout U.S. history, petitioning has driven major change:
- Abolitionists flooded Congress with anti-slavery petitions in the 1830s–1850s.
- Women’s suffrage advocates submitted massive petition campaigns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Civil rights leaders used letters and petitions to pressure lawmakers during the 1950s–1960s.
Today the right remains powerful: when thousands of constituents send individualized, respectful notices on the same issue, elected officials must take notice. That is exactly how Voice works.