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Virginia Declares Independence from England
In 1607 Jamestown, Virginia was successfully settled, and the people were ruled by England until they declared independence from England on May 15, 1776.The Revolutionary War waged for the next eight years until England finally admitted defeat. Jamestown. Virginia and West Virginia share the same history until the beginning of the Civil War. -
Adoption of the Virginia State Constitution
The Virginia State Constitution created conflict between eastern and western Virginians as it gave voting rights only to white landowner, most of whom lived in eastern Virginia. Most western Virginians lived on land they did not own, so they could not vote. Western Virginians did not feel represented in the Virginia government. Friction between the two halfs of Virginia continued and grew over the years. -
The United States Constitution is Ratified
Nine states needed to approve the Constitution for it to become the law of the United States. (If something is "ratified," it is approved.) New Hampshire ratified it on this date. Within days, Virginia joined the Union. March 4th, 1789 was the set day the law of the Constitution of the United States went into effect,. -
Virginia Enters into the Union
For 75 years after this date, the people of eastern and western Virginia continued to disagree over issues of govenment and reform, especially on who could vote. The idea of western Virginia seceding from eastern Virginia first appeared in 1829, but a series of political reforms eased the tension between east and west. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Slavery was an issue that a lot of people in the United States disagreed on even before Abraham Lincoln became president, He was against slavery, so a few months of after he was elected, southern states began to secede from the United States. Most slave owners lived in the southern United States. -
Virginia Votes to Secede from the Union
After the early battles of the Civil War, Virginia voters approved a bill, the Ordinance of Secession, to leave the Union. Vote tampering and the destruction of voting records make it hard to tell for certain who voted for it, but most western Virginians were pro-Union and, in anger, began working toward creating a new government of Virginia that was loyal to the United States. -
Restored Government of Virginia Formed (West Virginia in the Making)
Delegates loyal to the Union met in Wheeling and created the Restored Government of Virginia, and they chose a new governor for the state; President Lincoln declared it the legal government of Virginia. The state of West Virginia was about to be born. -
The Birth of West Virginia
People in 39 western Virginia counties approved the creation of a new state loyal to the Union. Like the vote for secession of Virginia from the Union, it is difficult to know if the vote was fair because Union troops were in control of the area. By February of 1862, the land belonging to the new state of West Virgina was agreed upon by the delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention in Wheeling. -
West Virginia Declares Itself a State (Lawful?)
Interestingly, by law, Virginia needed to agree for a new state to be added to the Union, but since Virginia seceded from the United States, and a new Virginia government had been established (loyal to the Union), West Virginia approved itself as a new state! -
West Virginia Statehood Bill Signed
President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill, passed by the House of Representatives, which legally made West Virgina a state. -
West Virginia is Officially a State
After citizens voted for the statehood bill, West Virginia officially became a state on June 20, 1863.
To read more about the history of WV, go to this site:
http://www.wvculture.org/history/statehoo.html