The reason people write petitions are too great to number since the motivation behind the petition could be anything from wanting to save the whales or wanting to destroy a political enemy. Then there are those done just to voice and strong opinion or simply to be an annoyance to an enemy. However, the overwhelming majority of petitions appear to be well intentioned. At least historically that has been the case.

What does history have to do with it you might ask? History really has very much to do with the fact that in most democratic nations citizens have the right to petition. Historically, a petition was a written request stating a grievance and requesting relief from a ruling authority such as a king. In modern America, petitioning includes a range of communicative activities designed to influence public officials through legal, nonviolent means. The right to petition reaches back at least to the Magna Carta in 1215. The English Declaration of Rights in 1689 confirmed that subjects were entitled to petition the king without fear of prosecution.

As a matter of fact The U.S. Supreme Court incorporated the petition clause of the First Amendment as part of the 14th Amendment's guarantees against the states. The petition clause applies equally to state and local governments and protects petitions directed to the judicial, executive and legislative branches.

From the early days until now, citizens have used their right to petition to get their voices heard, often loud and clear on a myriad of issues. Among the reasons people start petitions are the following:

• To address grievances or to respond to some perceived wrongdoing. Generally, a petition is the last resort when other efforts to resolve the situation have proven to be fruitless;
• As a means of social action. All you have to do you is read history, particularly U.S. history, as it is replete with instances when citizens built a case for change by proving they had the support of a significant number of people. Among the social action movements involving thousands of petitions to the powers that be are the anti-slavery movement, the anti-lynching legislation, the so-called robber baron movement, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Suffrage Movement, and many, many others;
• To bring about political change or to bring attention to corruption, especially as it relates to getting officials to take action against their colleagues;
• To right wrongs carried out without the full knowledge of the persons most directly impacted. You often see this when elected officials switch their agenda once that get elected, ignoring the desires of those who elected him/her to office;
• To open the public's eyes to hypocrisy and double-dealing on the part of those entrusted to act in their behalf;
• To change laws, rulings and ordinances that are outdated and/or burdensome with little benefit to today's society;
• To speak to and/or against the policies of colleges and universities;
• To request a change of classes or grades in academic settings;
• To get permission to have exceptions made in long-standing institutional policies;
• To be heard, to make known one's displeasure and to prove that others hold the same opinion and have the right to be heard and considered, even when in the minority;

Undoubtedly, you could add your own reasons to this list because the reasons for petitions are as varied as the personalities of those who insist it is a necessary right in free society. The bottom line is, with rare exception, petitions are a valid means of expression for individuals who wish to be heard on a particular issue. What is your cause? What makes you angry? What needs to be changed to make things better, more equitable or fair? Maybe it is your turn to start a petition.