Transcript: Did you know why there are two Virginias?
Virginia and West Virginia originally began as a single territory under the Virginia colony, established in 1607.
Over time, the western part of the state became increasingly different from the east. Westerners were small-scale farmers who invested in their land, while Easterners were large plantation owners, who focused on slavery to run them more efficiently.
With the state capital in Richmond, the eastern part was favored and held most of the political power, imposing high taxes on land but low taxes on slaves.
Westerners felt exploited by this imbalance but couldn’t legally secede without the state’s approval. And Richmond wasn’t willing to lose the tax revenue from the West.
However, on May 23, 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union, as it could no longer trust the Union to protect its interests in slavery.
In contrast, Westerners wanted to remain with the Union. So, they decided to break away, and since Virginia was no longer under the Union’s Constitution, they didn’t need the state’s approval, which led to West Virginia becoming a state on June 20, 1863.
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