Countdown to West Virginia Statehood Bob O'connor 9780741483126 Books
Download As PDF : Countdown to West Virginia Statehood Bob O'connor 9780741483126 Books
On June 20, 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state. Most people think the statehood movement was a result of the majority of those who lived in western Virginia were pro-Union and came out of the decision of Virginia to secede from the Union. Not so at all. The fissure between the planters and mountaineers, those who lived in eastern Virginia and those who lived in western Virginia started in 1776 with the first state constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia. That constitution restricted voting rights to persons who were large landowners who mainly lived in eastern Virginia. That restriction stayed on the books until 1850. Countdown to West Virginia statehood starts in the beginning and chronicles an amazing and interesting journey.
Countdown to West Virginia Statehood Bob O'connor 9780741483126 Books
On June 20th, West Virginia will celebrate its anniversary as a state. I recently met the author of this thin volume and he clearly loves and knows the history of West Virginia. Countdown to West Virginia Statehood by Bob O’Connor shows that the process leading to West Virginia’s birth was conceived decades before and midwifed by the Civil War.After Virginia joined the other colonies in seeking independence from Great Britain in 1776, they produced a constitution that severely disfavored inhabitants of the western portions of the state. Alongside a requirement of owning substantial acreage in order to vote, representation in the state legislature was based on county size, which heavily favored the eastern seaboard. This was mollified somewhat in 1830 by increasing proportional representation at the county level, but was not fully rectified until 1850’s constitutional revisions allowing for universal white male suffrage. By that point, however, political and economic neglect had instilled in the minds of many western Virginians that they would have been better off without their eastern counterparts.
When the Civil War came, many in the western portions of the state were ambivalent, if not outright hostile, to the prospect of secession. The voting public turned out in large numbers to reject the ordinance of secession in 1861, but yet again eastern forces prevailed and carried Virginia out of the Union. As a result, western Virginians organized a convention in Wheeling declaring their loyalty to the federal government and created a “reformed” state government composed of Unionists. Many of these men, such as Francis Pierpont, John Carlile, and Arthur Boreman, would later assume prominent positions in West Virginia’s government.
As the war dragged on and the Republican administration took a beating in the 1862 midterm congressional elections, it was considered expedient to admit West Virginia into the Union as a political bulwark. After a statehood bill received the approval of Congress, it went before President Lincoln to sign. He debated whether such an act would even be constitutional due to the provision of Article IV, Section 3 requiring approval of a state legislature before it was divided, but ultimately decided secession in favor of the U.S. Constitution was better than secession against it. After that, a vote was held for approval by the citizens of the new state, but the outcome was preordained and it passed overwhelmingly.
Throughout the rest of the war, West Virginia contributed men and supplies to the Union government, and served as a useful transit point for the federal armies. While there were some legal wrangles over debt liability after the Civil War, it was never much in doubt that West Virginia was permanently cleaved from the Old Dominion.
This book offers a number of interesting points to consider. West Virginia today has achieved for itself a unique identity and I often wonder whether our citizens would have retained such an independent spirit had we continued to reside within Virginia’s boundaries. The book’s brevity allows for it to be read in a little over an hour, and at the end contains some brief biographies of the most prominent actors in this story. It is regrettable that the proceedings of our debates on secession, statehood, and a constitutional convention are not more widely available because they contain interesting dialogues that would be a nice addition to a second edition of this work. If you would like a crash course on the history of West Virginia’s early days, Mr. O’Connor’s book is a great start.
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Tags : Countdown to West Virginia Statehood [Bob O'connor] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. On June 20, 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state. Most people think the statehood movement was a result of the majority of those who lived in western Virginia were pro-Union and came out of the decision of Virginia to secede from the Union. Not so at all. The fissure between the planters and mountaineers,Bob O'connor,Countdown to West Virginia Statehood,Infinity Publishing,0741483122,General,History,General Adult,HISTORY General,HistoryWorld,History: World,Non-Fiction
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Countdown to West Virginia Statehood Bob O'connor 9780741483126 Books Reviews
When I pulled the book from its envelope and browsed from cover to cover (all 95 pages), I thought "it's short, can't be much to it". However, it was soon apparent that "Countdown to West Virginia Statehood" fits the cliché that you can't judge a book by its cover, or for that matter its length. Having just read "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I was looking for something to fill the void left in that book about West Virginia's constitutional -- and some say unconstitutional -- and historic roots. I found it in Mr. O'Connor's book, which is loaded with information.
It was interesting that when the old Virginia government ceased funding the Weston asylum and other community projects, the "new" Virginia (West Virginia) government quickly reacted by seizing gold of the "old" government held in Lewis County Banks. Having spent some time in Lewis County, I believe that descendants of these bankers, lawyers and judges are influential citizens and bankers, lawyers and judges today.
Mr. O'Connor hit the nail on the proverbial head when he assessed the Western Virginia inhabitants as a "fiercely independent lot" -- a characteristic I daresay is not lost in today's "native" West Virginians. My many years of practicing law in West Virginia have lead to numerous encounters with Mountaineers like Jubal Early, a staunch Union supporter who later became a Confederate General; Governor John Letcher who refused President Lincoln's orders for troops; and Judge John J. Jackson who predicted that ". . . as sure as there is a God in Heaven . . . Western Virginia will secede from Virginia".
Before reading Mr. O'Ccnnor's book, I had never really thought about the fact that culturally -- both political and economic -- Virginia in the 1860's was two different states. The election of Lincoln and the Civil War were the impetus that finally separated these dissimilar cultures. Of particular interest was the account with regard the political "hoops" the Western Virginia government had to jump through to accomplish this birth of the new State of West Virginia. It may well rank among the most complex acts of political maneuvering the country has experienced.
The abolishment of slavery and a nation divided north and south, in the same manner as Virginia was divided east and west, was the fuel that resulted in the most destructive event of our nation's history and the birth of West Virginia. Issues that are succinctly developed in "Countdown to West Virginia Statehood".
I have passed this book along to my son and daughter, both of whom are very much interested in history -- especially the history of the great State of West Virginia.
Review for Countdown to West Virginia Statehood
Each of our 50 states has had its own unique path to statehood. West Virginia became a state through a process like no other state. It was carved out of an existing state in 1863, and will be celebrating its 150th birthday during this current year.
Author Bob O’Connor has taken this story, documented the highly charged controversy of each step, and presented it both for the novice historian as well as for serious students of this statehood process. He explains in great detail, with photographs and maps, how each person and event led up to the decision of the western territory of Virginia to become its own separate state. This latest book by O’Connor is the nonfiction work Countdown to West Virginia Statehood.
O’Connor presents the events as they happened, but he also lets the reader know how controversial they were 150 years ago, and how some historians still believe today that West Virginia became a state illegally. The information is both interesting and thought provoking as the differences between the “planter” and the “mountaineers” are presented.
The content of this book is taken from a series of articles that O’Connor has written for weekly publication in the months preceding the 150th anniversary celebration. Any reader who wants to know “the rest of the story” will appreciate and enjoy this concise history of the events that are now known as the “countdown to statehood”.
By Joanne White, Ferryville, Wisconsin
On June 20th, West Virginia will celebrate its anniversary as a state. I recently met the author of this thin volume and he clearly loves and knows the history of West Virginia. Countdown to West Virginia Statehood by Bob O’Connor shows that the process leading to West Virginia’s birth was conceived decades before and midwifed by the Civil War.
After Virginia joined the other colonies in seeking independence from Great Britain in 1776, they produced a constitution that severely disfavored inhabitants of the western portions of the state. Alongside a requirement of owning substantial acreage in order to vote, representation in the state legislature was based on county size, which heavily favored the eastern seaboard. This was mollified somewhat in 1830 by increasing proportional representation at the county level, but was not fully rectified until 1850’s constitutional revisions allowing for universal white male suffrage. By that point, however, political and economic neglect had instilled in the minds of many western Virginians that they would have been better off without their eastern counterparts.
When the Civil War came, many in the western portions of the state were ambivalent, if not outright hostile, to the prospect of secession. The voting public turned out in large numbers to reject the ordinance of secession in 1861, but yet again eastern forces prevailed and carried Virginia out of the Union. As a result, western Virginians organized a convention in Wheeling declaring their loyalty to the federal government and created a “reformed” state government composed of Unionists. Many of these men, such as Francis Pierpont, John Carlile, and Arthur Boreman, would later assume prominent positions in West Virginia’s government.
As the war dragged on and the Republican administration took a beating in the 1862 midterm congressional elections, it was considered expedient to admit West Virginia into the Union as a political bulwark. After a statehood bill received the approval of Congress, it went before President Lincoln to sign. He debated whether such an act would even be constitutional due to the provision of Article IV, Section 3 requiring approval of a state legislature before it was divided, but ultimately decided secession in favor of the U.S. Constitution was better than secession against it. After that, a vote was held for approval by the citizens of the new state, but the outcome was preordained and it passed overwhelmingly.
Throughout the rest of the war, West Virginia contributed men and supplies to the Union government, and served as a useful transit point for the federal armies. While there were some legal wrangles over debt liability after the Civil War, it was never much in doubt that West Virginia was permanently cleaved from the Old Dominion.
This book offers a number of interesting points to consider. West Virginia today has achieved for itself a unique identity and I often wonder whether our citizens would have retained such an independent spirit had we continued to reside within Virginia’s boundaries. The book’s brevity allows for it to be read in a little over an hour, and at the end contains some brief biographies of the most prominent actors in this story. It is regrettable that the proceedings of our debates on secession, statehood, and a constitutional convention are not more widely available because they contain interesting dialogues that would be a nice addition to a second edition of this work. If you would like a crash course on the history of West Virginia’s early days, Mr. O’Connor’s book is a great start.
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