In 1920, Cora Cottman joined scores of other American women applying to vote for the very first time following the ratification of the 19th Amendment.…
McKenzie LongSeptember 23, 2024
The history of African American disenfranchisement and exclusion in Virginia is a lengthy one. This blog post is meant to serve as an introduction and…
Jessi BennettSeptember 9, 2020
We explain the purpose and functioning of the ballot and teach that voting is a duty as well as a right. We use every opportunity…
Mari JulienneMarch 11, 2020
During the night of 23 April 1829, six African American men made a daring escape from the Norfolk County jail. One of them was William…
Brent TarterMarch 6, 2019
For access purposes, archivists sort local government records held by the Library of Virginia into twenty-three categories, as well as numerous sub-categories encompassing the alphabet…
Callie FreedMay 24, 2018
On 22 October 1867, African American men cast votes for the first time in Virginia; this significant event was recorded in poll books in counties…
Paige NealOctober 23, 2017
This is the fourth in a series of four blog posts concerning post-Civil War Virginia and the lives of freedpeople after Emancipation. The posts precede the…
Mari JulienneJuly 1, 2015
Commonwealth vs. Richard Perry Loving and Mildred Delores Jeter was the criminal case that began in 1958 in Caroline County and terminated in a landmark civil…
Sarah NerneyFebruary 8, 2012
In honor of the upcoming Election Day, today’s post presents a record that illustrates the struggles that some Virginians experienced while attempting to exercise the…
Sarah NerneyNovember 2, 2011
