James G
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Post by James G on Feb 26, 2021 22:19:24 GMT
Could West Virginia have been returned to Virginia after the US Civil War?
Was there any possibility of that happening?
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Post by american2006 on Feb 26, 2021 23:31:05 GMT
Probably not
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 27, 2021 12:09:18 GMT
Could West Virginia have been returned to Virginia after the US Civil War? Was there any possibility of that happening?
I suspect not. It would presumably have needed the people and/or politicians of W Virginia to agree to this and what's in it for them? They would lose their senate representation and be tied up with a culturally different Virginia, that was larger than them and hence would dominant the union and also with many in the latter probably still viewing them as 'traitors'. Also for a while after the war the defeated rebel states were basically disestablished IIRC and only gradually allowed back into the union with full rights so W Virginia wouldn't even consider the idea until Virginia was accepted as a state again.
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kyng
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Post by kyng on Feb 27, 2021 14:56:44 GMT
Yeah, I really don't see how this happens. The secession of West Virginia didn't just happen in a vacuum, after all. Even in the decades prior to the Civil War, there was considerable resentment between the western counties (that would ultimately secede), and the eastern counties. These two parts of Virginia had very different economic systems: the economy of the larger eastern half depended on slavery, but in the smaller western part, it was largely unprofitable. Since the eastern part was larger, and had more representatives in the state legislature, those in the western part felt marginalised and ignored by their own state government. Furthermore, the eastern-biased government was reluctant to dedicate funds to infrastructure projects to benefit the west: encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/west-virginia-creation-of/I just don't see anyone in West Virginia wanting to return to any of that... they would've been glad to be rid of the eastern part by 1863, with or without the Civil War. |
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jjohnson
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Post by jjohnson on Mar 20, 2021 4:02:57 GMT
Could West Virginia have been returned to Virginia after the US Civil War? Was there any possibility of that happening? I don't think so. WV was formed completely illegally since the government operating in Richmond was continuously in operation from before the war to during the war, and it was not consulted nor consented to creating the state. By rights it should be returned to Virginia. The environment after the war of a victorious conqueror and his defeated spoils to be looted to enrich themselves wouldn't be too likely to get that small matter of constitutionality. Might makes right was the Whig and Republican way. For the sake of argument, I would think the best way to get WV returned would be if the CS were able to invade WV and have some measure of control there, or capture DC during the war with Lincoln and some or all of Congress there to force an end to the war where they could name their terms either by force of arms or by negotiated peace by a third party. |
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Post by SpaceOrbisHistory on Jul 21, 2021 20:40:58 GMT
Could West Virginia have been returned to Virginia after the US Civil War? Was there any possibility of that happening? I don't think this is likely. For one thing we aren't really made for slavery so rejoining our mother state isn't likely to pan out. I could maybe see parts rejoin but not the whole state. I live not too far so it is possible I would be in Virginia but again I would say no. I don't think it is likely that we would willing rejoin after just forming a new state. Such a thing is to me a non-starter. It makes no real sense why we would do this. Hell I don't think we would rejoin even in 2021 much less in 1865 when we left it less then two years before. It would be akin to the United States rejoining the United Kingdom in like 1812. |
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Post by fieldmarshal on Jul 24, 2021 17:10:23 GMT
Could West Virginia have been returned to Virginia after the US Civil War? Was there any possibility of that happening? Ironically, as it currently stands the exact opposite is more likely: WV annexing more territory from Virginia proper WV law states that "additional territory may be admitted into and become part of [West Virginia] state with the consent of the [Virginia] legislature," and the the Governor of West Virginia was openly offering to annex parts of VA last year in response to the latter state's restrictive gun laws: www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/west-virginia-republicans-push-vexit/index.htmlHow far East Virginia has fallen lol |
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kyng
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Post by kyng on Jul 24, 2021 20:22:05 GMT
Could West Virginia have been returned to Virginia after the US Civil War? Was there any possibility of that happening? Ironically, as it currently stands the exact opposite is more likely: WV annexing more territory from Virginia proper WV law states that "additional territory may be admitted into and become part of [West Virginia] state with the consent of the [Virginia] legislature," and the the Governor of West Virginia was openly offering to annex parts of VA last year in response to the latter state's restrictive gun laws: www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/west-virginia-republicans-push-vexit/index.htmlHow far East Virginia has fallen lol Okay, but WV can't just do that unilaterally. Virginia proper has to agree to at - and right now, there's no obvious reason why they would... there doesn't seem to be anything in it for them. (Though, it wouldn't be a bad idea... I believe the south-western counties of Virginia are more culturally similar to WV than they are to northern and eastern VA, after all!) |
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belushitd
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Post by belushitd on Jul 28, 2021 15:00:44 GMT
WV can't do that unilaterally.
However, a VERY tight election that shows a bare democratic majority in the legislature focused on a hot topic, along with a democrat governor who would be willing to cut off his nose to spite his face, its possible.
A couple years ago the gun control legislation was, in my opinion, a possible trigger for such a thing. Its mostly the republican areas that are in favor of less.... well, everything that comes out of Richmond. Lots of people in the rural areas are against that sort of thing, with the people in the urban areas and to a lesser extent, the suburban areas being in favor of it.
Should the legislature, in such a situation try to ram through a sufficiently obnoxious gun control bill, there might be enough interest on the part of the western rural counties to put an amendment on the bill that would cede the western counties to West Virginia.
Belushi TD
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Jul 28, 2021 15:40:23 GMT
WV can't do that unilaterally. However, a VERY tight election that shows a bare democratic majority in the legislature focused on a hot topic, along with a democrat governor who would be willing to cut off his nose to spite his face, its possible. A couple years ago the gun control legislation was, in my opinion, a possible trigger for such a thing. Its mostly the republican areas that are in favor of less.... well, everything that comes out of Richmond. Lots of people in the rural areas are against that sort of thing, with the people in the urban areas and to a lesser extent, the suburban areas being in favor of it. Should the legislature, in such a situation try to ram through a sufficiently obnoxious gun control bill, there might be enough interest on the part of the western rural counties to put an amendment on the bill that would cede the western counties to West Virginia. Belushi TD
It could be that in that case such an amendment might pass if enough Democrats decide well let's get rid of those stupid idiots so we can better protect the bulk of our people.  |
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jjohnson
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Post by jjohnson on Jul 29, 2021 2:33:35 GMT
And now, with over 150 years of acting as a State, despite its origin, gives it some measure of legality and self-government in US law, recognizing the conditions on the ground. At any point after the Civil War, if you want WV to rejoin Virginia, especially after years or decades of existence as a separate government, you need permission of both WV and Virginia and the Congress to merge the two back together. The Constitution is a document of self-government, federalism, and states' rights (to self-government without federal interference).
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Post by american2006 on Jul 29, 2021 13:23:46 GMT
The only way I personally can see this happening is either during the Civil War itself (which is unlikely) or in reconstruction, to get more Union-leaning voters into the state. But after about 1880, it's not gonna happen. A state un-becoming a state is completely unprecedented.
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